CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Brixton Biosciences, a clinical-stage life sciences company developing drug-free treatments for chronic pain, announced the appointments of David Acheson as chief commercial officer and Brian Newkirk as chief business officer as it prepares for the potential commercialization of its lead product, Reneurx Nerve-Selective Therapy.
The appointments come as Brixton advances its efforts to develop a nerve-selective biomaterial designed to provide targeted, long-lasting pain relief. The company’s lead program focuses on pain associated with knee osteoarthritis, with additional clinical and research initiatives targeting lateral hip pain, thumb joint pain and migraine.
Reneurx is a proprietary, drug-free therapy designed to provide localized pain relief by physically disrupting pain signaling at the nerve level.
Brixton has completed a pivotal clinical study evaluating Reneurx in patients experiencing pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and expects a decision from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on its marketing authorization application by the end of 2026.
“We are very pleased to welcome David and Brian, who bring complementary expertise in business strategy, commercialization and organizational development as Brixton pursues the broader potential of Reneurx therapy across indications and builds the capabilities necessary to support planned commercial activities,” said Sameer Sabir, CEO of Brixton Biosciences.
“Their collective experience and leadership will be invaluable as we position Brixton for its next phase of growth and continue our mission of bringing patients with chronic joint pain a durable, drug-free treatment option,” Sabir added.
Acheson brings more than 25 years of commercial leadership experience across the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. His expertise includes product launches, market access, sales operations, commercial strategy and building organizations to support new therapies.
Before joining Brixton, Acheson served as executive vice president of commercial operations at Apellis Pharmaceuticals, where he oversaw the U.S. launches of Empaveli, a treatment for rare diseases, and Syfovre, a therapy for retinal conditions.
He previously served as senior vice president and general manager of U.S. operations at Circassia Pharmaceuticals and held several other commercial leadership positions throughout his career.
Acheson earned a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Newkirk brings nearly 20 years of experience in corporate strategy, portfolio development and identifying new product opportunities across the life sciences industry.
He previously served as vice president, program team leader and head of new product planning at Dyne Therapeutics, where he helped advance therapies targeting serious genetic diseases.
Earlier in his career, Newkirk held positions at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, contributing to corporate strategy and the development of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics during a period of significant company growth. He also worked at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
Newkirk holds a Master of Science in Health Sciences and Technology from the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and an undergraduate degree from Bowdoin College.
The leadership additions are intended to strengthen Brixton’s commercial planning and business development capabilities as the company prepares for a potential regulatory decision on Reneurx and explores additional applications for its nerve-selective technology.
Brixton is positioning Reneurx as a potential alternative to existing pain management approaches, particularly for patients seeking treatments that do not rely on conventional pain medications.
