Rebel Medicine Inc. (Salt Lake City, UT) raises $6 Million Series A led by Crocker Ventures (Salt Lake City) as FDA accepts IND for Alevatrix™, a long-acting non-opioid pain therapeutic advancing to Phase 2 bunionectomy trial.
FDA Accepts IND for Alevatrix™, a Long-Acting Non-Opioid Analgesic Designed to Reduce Post-Surgical Opioid Use
Salt Lake City, Utah – June 14, 2025
Rebel Medicine Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing non-opioid pain therapeutics and advanced drug delivery systems, today announced the closing of a $6 million Series A financing to accelerate clinical development of its lead candidate, Alevatrix™.
The Series A round was led by Salt Lake City-based Crocker Ventures with participation from Austin-based Central Texas Angel Network (CTAN), Prosperity Solutions Capital (Billings, MT), Utah Innovation Fund (Salt Lake City), SK Hart (Salt Lake City), the Joan & Tim Fenton Fund (Midvale, UT), Cantina Angels (Chicago), and a syndicate of experienced life science investors.
The raise follows a previously unannounced $4.9 million seed round led by CTAN earlier this year, bringing the company’s total funding to nearly $11 million.
The financing coincides with the formal acceptance of Rebel Medicine’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Alevatrix™, paving the way for a first-in-human, randomized, dose-escalation Phase 2 clinical trial in patients undergoing bunionectomy—a well-characterized surgical pain model with high opioid prescribing rates.
“This is a transformative moment for Rebel Medicine,” said Brett Davis, PhD, Co-Founder and CEO of Rebel Medicine. “The momentum from our investors and the FDA's greenlight for our IND validates the strength of our delivery platform and the clinical promise of Alevatrix™. We’re focused on rapidly advancing this product to address the critical need for opioid alternatives in post-operative care.”
Alevatrix™ is a novel, extended-release injectable formulation of bupivacaine, a widely used local anesthetic. The drug is embedded in Rebel Medicine’s proprietary biocompatible matrix, designed to provide targeted pain relief at the site of administration for up to 72–96 hours, covering the period of highest post-surgical pain intensity without the use of opioids.
In large-animal preclinical studies, Alevatrix™ demonstrated multi-day analgesia, a favorable safety profile, and a significant reduction in opioid need compared to standard of care. The upcoming Phase 2 trial will assess its safety, tolerability, and efficacy in a controlled surgical setting.
Rebel Medicine’s proprietary drug delivery platform repurposes well-characterized active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) into long-acting, injectable formulations. This approach is designed to shorten development timelines, reduce regulatory risk, and improve patient outcomes in pain management and other therapeutic areas.
The company’s broader pipeline includes:
“Our platform enables us to engineer extended-release versions of proven drugs—from days to potentially months,” said Dr. Davis. “This gives us the flexibility to address a wide range of clinical challenges, starting with the urgent need to reduce opioid dependence after surgery.”
For more information, visit Rebel Medicine Inc