- NTRB listed on the Nasdaq in 2021, is trading above its IPO price, and hit an all-time high of $11.78 in January of this year
- Nutriband’s AVERSA abuse-deterrent patch technology is FDA-bound and could command a market potential as high as $800 million annually
Serguei Melnik, Founder and President of Nutriband (NASDAQ: NTRB), recently joined The Smart Money Circle Show, where he pulled back the curtain on his no-nonsense approach to biotech entrepreneurship. His grounded tone and unwavering focus on long-term value stand in stark contrast to the conventional biotech playbook.
As is typical, the topic of the article focused on Nutriband’s history, technology, and vision. To that point, Nutriband’s core innovation is AVERSA, an abuse-deterrent technology designed to prevent the oral misuse of transdermal patches, particularly fentanyl, which can be 100 times more potent than heroin. The AVERSA system embeds ultra-bitter and ultra-spicy components that, in Melnik’s words, make it “almost impossible for abuse or misuse.” In short, risk of abuse is greatly reduced considering in order to ingest a drug like fentanyl, it will be accompanied by a taste akin to Bitrex meeting Pepper X, a real breakthrough in drug safety.
Adult misuse is one thing, but there is also a very real threat of potential death to children who unknowingly are exposed to residual amounts of fentanyl on patches.
The technology is now patented in more than 45 countries, and Nutriband is partnered with Kindeva Drug Delivery to commercialize new products. The company sees the next major milestone as an FDA submission seeking to bring the product to market.
According to Health Advances, the initial market opportunity for abuse-deterrent fentanyl patches could be between $80–$200 million in the first year of launch. If the FDA mandates such technologies, Melnik estimates the opportunity could swell to $800 million annually. Beyond fentanyl, AVERSA is a platform technology that could be adapted for other pain medications, creating multiple commercial pathways.
Doing It Differently from the Start
Unlike most biotech companies that go public with bloated capital raises, Nutriband went public via a Form 10 filing, handling even the legal work in-house with minimal funds. When bankers offered them tens of millions of dollars early on, Melnik walked away, believing it would ultimately destroy shareholder value. He cites peers who accepted similar terms and are now trading at fractions of their former selves – if they’re still trading at all. Meanwhile, Nutriband continues to trade above its IPO price and even hit an all-time high of $11.78 in January.
Outsmarting the Market and Protecting Shareholders
Melnik spoke candidly about how he witnessed the tactics of Wall Street firsthand. He shared a striking story of how market manipulators seemingly used company news against them. After observing suspicious trading patterns, Nutriband began keeping developments under wraps. In one example, when a patent was quietly announced in late 2021, shares surged from $3 to $10.44 on nearly 150 million shares of volume, the most active stock on Nasdaq that day. The lesson: silence can sometimes protect momentum.
Rather than fight Wall Street games, Melnik and his team took a different route to preserve capital. In 2022, the entire executive team took a 50% pay cut, saving $600,000 and extending their runway by over two years. That financial discipline attracted long-term allies, including a billionaire new investor, who has been very supportive of the company as it nears FDA submission for its flagship product.
Beyond Biotech: Diversified Revenue Streams and Transdermal Expertise
Unlike most early-stage biotech companies, Nutriband generates revenue today. The company operates a manufacturing facility in North Carolina that produces the Active Intelligence tape used by Reebok, among others. They also recently launched a mosquito-repelling patch, now approved for sale in Costa Rica. Melnik and his team personally tested the product by trekking through the Talamanca Mountain range without a single mosquito bite in four days.
Transdermal expertise is Nutriband’s hallmark, and Melnik is as committed as ever. “We only try to control what we can control,” he said. “If Wall Street funds don’t understand that we’re not coming back to them, I don’t know what else will make them.”
Leadership That Puts People First
Melnik isn’t just a President; he’s a founder with skin in the game, having tested products himself and taken financial hits to keep the company alive. Yet when asked in the podcast to share advice with his younger self, he didn’t talk about business plans or capital raises. He spoke about family and time.
His grounded mindset, passion for innovation, and unwillingness to compromise on shareholder value position Nutriband as a rare biotech story, one led by integrity, resilience, and vision that is nearing some critical milestones that could serve as significant catalysts to corporate value.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.Nutriband.com.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to NTRB are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NTRB
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