Shawn Singh, CEO of Vistagen, explains how pherines — a new class of intranasal spray treatments — use nose-to-brain neural pathways with potential to deliver fast-acting relief for social anxiety and depression without systemic exposure, weight gain, or addiction.
Episode Highlights
- [00:00] Intro: Shawn's career from corporate finance lawyer to biotech CEO
- [03:30] Why mental health became personal — and why Vistagen felt like a once-in-a-generation opportunity
- [07:00] What's broken about today's mental health medications — and what the field is missing
- [11:00] What is a pherine? How nose-to-brain neurocircuitry works
- [18:00] Why pherines never enter the bloodstream — and what that means for safety
- [23:00] Phase 3 results: the first-ever positive study for acute treatment of social anxiety disorder
- [28:00] Depression and hot flash pipeline: what the data shows so far
- [33:00] Safety profile: 30,000 doses, headache at 8.7%, nothing else over 5%
- [37:00] Winning over skeptical prescribers — and what changes their minds
- [41:00] The neuroscience renaissance and Vistagen's role in the next decade
- [44:30] Closing: what Shawn would change about how CNS research is done
