Pasithea Therapeutics Announces Grant of Rare Pediatric Disease Designation (RPDD) by FDA to PAS-004 for Treatment of Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1)

On April 20, 2026 Pasithea Therapeutics Corp. (NASDAQ: KTTA) ("Pasithea" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing PAS-004, a next-generation macrocyclic MEK inhibitor, reported that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Rare Pediatric Disease Designation to PAS-004 for treatment of Neurofibromatosis type-1 (NF1).

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The FDA grants RPDD for serious or life-threatening diseases in which the serious or life-threatening manifestations primarily affect individuals aged from birth to 18 years and affect fewer than 200,000 people in the U.S. There are approximately 115,000 individuals in the U.S living with NF1.

Under the FDA’s Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher program, a sponsor who receives an approval of a new drug application (NDA) or biologics license application (BLA) for a rare pediatric disease may be eligible for a Priority Review Voucher ("PRV") which can be redeemed to obtain priority review for a subsequent marketing application for a different product. The PRV may be sold or transferred to another sponsor. In the last 12 months, disclosed PRV sales have ranged from $150–$205 million.

"We are pleased to have received rare pediatric disease designation from the U.S. FDA for our PAS-004 program for patients with NF1," said Dr. Tiago Reis Marques, chief executive officer of Pasithea. "This designation for PAS-004 reinforces the potential of PAS-004 to address this serious condition."

PAS-004 has so far been granted the following FDA regulatory designations: Orphan Drug Designation, Fast Track Designation and Rare Pediatric Disease Designation.

The Company is currently conducting a Phase 1/1b multicenter, open-label, dose escalation trial of PAS-004 in adult participants with symptomatic, inoperable, incompletely resected, or recurrent NF1-PN (NCT06961565).

About NF1- PN
Plexiform neurofibromas (PN) are tumors originating from the nerve sheath that grow through and around nerves and may involve multiple nerve branches. Thirty to fifty percent (30-50%) of patients with NF1 will harbor PNs, which can undergo malignant transformation. PN-related morbidities are primarily caused by the direct impact of the tumor on surrounding structures and can be life-threatening when they compress vital organs or when they become malignant.

(Press release, Pasithea Therapeutics, APR 20, 2026, View Source [SID1234664548])