Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals

Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals is a United States pharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing new chemical entities derived from, or pharmacologically related to, psychedelic and dissociative compounds. The company operates at the discovery stage rather than as a commercial drug manufacturer, and its research portfolio is directed toward medicines intended to address neuropsychiatric and related conditions. Its approach includes modifying known psychoactive chemical scaffolds to produce compounds that may retain therapeutic mechanisms while reducing hallucinogenic or otherwise undesirable effects. The company was co-founded by Jonathan Sporn, Jeff Witkin, Dalibor Sames, Andrew Kruegel, and Mike Cunningham. The scientific founding group has links to medicinal chemistry and academic research at Columbia University: Sames, Kruegel, and Cunningham worked together in Sames's laboratory. Cunningham is identified as a research scientist at Gilgamesh. This combination of pharmaceutical development and academic chemistry has shaped the company's emphasis on novel molecules rather than on repurposing established medicines alone. Gilgamesh's disclosed research candidates include blixeprodil, also designated GM-1020 and chemically described as (R)-4-fluorodeschloroketamine or (R)-4-FDCK. Blixeprodil is related to ketamine and is characterized as an NMDA receptor antagonist. Another candidate, bretisilocin, designated GM-2505 and chemically described as 5-fluoro-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine or 5F-MET, is related to dimethyltryptamine and acts as a serotonergic psychedelic. The portfolio also includes GM-3009, a noribogaine-related kappa-opioid-receptor agonist, and GM-5022, described as a non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogen. GM-2040 has been identified as a potential additional candidate and is described as a putatively non-hallucinogenic serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist. The company's commercial significance has increasingly been tied to partnerships and asset transactions with AbbVie. In May 2024, AbbVie entered an optional deal with Gilgamesh concerning novel non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens. The arrangement included an upfront payment of $65 million for rights to the relevant compounds and potential additional payments of up to $1.95 billion for a series of psychoplastogens. In August 2025, AbbVie acquired bretisilocin from Gilgamesh in a transaction reported as potentially worth up to $1.2 billion. These arrangements illustrate the pharmaceutical industry's interest in psychedelic-derived drug discovery while also reflecting Gilgamesh's position as an innovation-focused company whose assets may be advanced through larger commercial partners. Gilgamesh remains a discovery-stage business in the available reference material. Its identity is therefore centered on research, medicinal chemistry, intellectual property, and development partnerships rather than on marketed prescription products. The company is part of the emerging psychedelic-pharmaceutical sector, where scientific and regulatory strategies commonly seek to separate therapeutic effects from the altered states associated with classical psychedelics. No publicly confirmed headquarters, official website, stock listing, or marketed product portfolio is specified in the supplied material.

Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals emerged as a discovery-stage pharmaceutical company built around the development of psychedelic-inspired and related medicines. Its founding team combined entrepreneurial, medicinal-chemistry, and academic expertise. Jonathan Sporn, Jeff Witkin, Dalibor Sames, Andrew Kruegel, and Mike Cunningham are identified as co-founders. Sames, Kruegel, and Cunningham had previously worked together in Sames's laboratory at Columbia University, providing an academic research connection for the company's chemistry-led drug-discovery program. Cunningham is also identified as a research scientist at Gilgamesh. Rather than positioning itself as a manufacturer of established medicines, Gilgamesh has focused on new chemical entities. Its research strategy involves investigating compounds related to known psychoactive or dissociative drugs while attempting to generate therapeutic profiles suitable for conventional pharmaceutical development. A particular emphasis is placed on psychoplastogens, compounds intended to promote durable changes in neural plasticity. Some of the company's candidates are described as non-hallucinogenic or putatively non-hallucinogenic, reflecting an effort to explore therapeutic mechanisms associated with psychedelic pharmacology without necessarily producing the full subjective effects of classical psychedelics. The disclosed pipeline spans several pharmacological families. Blixeprodil, or GM-1020, is related to ketamine and is described as an NMDA receptor antagonist. Bretisilocin, or GM-2505, is a DMT-related serotonergic psychedelic. GM-3009 is related to noribogaine and acts as a kappa-opioid-receptor agonist. GM-5022 is described as a non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogen, while GM-2040 has been identified as a possible additional candidate and characterized as a putatively non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2A receptor agonist. These programs demonstrate the company's broad interest in receptor pharmacology rather than reliance on a single molecule or one classical psychedelic scaffold. A significant development in Gilgamesh's history was its relationship with AbbVie. In May 2024, AbbVie entered an optional agreement involving novel non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens. The reported structure included a $65 million upfront payment for rights and potential payments of as much as $1.95 billion for a series of psychoplastogens. The agreement showed that a large established pharmaceutical company considered Gilgamesh's discovery assets sufficiently promising to justify a substantial partnership and option structure. In August 2025, AbbVie acquired bretisilocin from Gilgamesh in a deal reported to have a potential value of up to $1.2 billion. This transaction further shifted the commercial development pathway for one of Gilgamesh's most visible candidates toward AbbVie. It also illustrated a common model in emerging drug discovery: a smaller research company creates and advances novel compounds, while a larger pharmaceutical company obtains rights or ownership and supplies the resources needed for later development. The available reference material continues to describe Gilgamesh as a discovery-stage company. No marketed medicine, public stock listing, confirmed headquarters, or complete operating-market footprint is specified. Its public identity is consequently defined by its scientific founders, preclinical or early discovery pipeline, and strategic transactions rather than by commercial sales or a consumer-facing product range.

• 2025

  Bretisilocin transferred to AbbVie

  [1]Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticalsen.wikipedia.org

  AbbVie acquired bretisilocin, also known as GM-2505, in a transaction reported as potentially worth up to $1.2 billion.

• 2024

  AbbVie signs psychoplastogen option agreement

  [1]Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticalsen.wikipedia.org

  AbbVie agreed to pay $65 million upfront for rights to novel non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens, with potential additional payments of up to $1.95 billion for a series of compounds.

• Company founded by a multidisciplinary scientific team

  [1]Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticalsen.wikipedia.org

  Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals was co-founded by Jonathan Sporn, Jeff Witkin, Dalibor Sames, Andrew Kruegel, and Mike Cunningham. The available material does not provide a confirmed founding year.

A discovery-stage pharmaceutical innovator applying medicinal chemistry to psychedelic, dissociative, and related neuroactive scaffolds, with particular emphasis on potentially non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogens and other novel chemical entities.

• NMDA receptor antagonist

  Blixeprodil

  Blixeprodil, designated GM-1020 and chemically described as (R)-4-fluorodeschloroketamine or (R)-4-FDCK, is a ketamine-related investigational compound. It is characterized as an NMDA receptor antagonist and forms part of Gilgamesh's effort to investigate dissociative-drug-related pharmacology for therapeutic applications. The available material does not establish a marketed indication or clinical development stage.

• Serotonergic psychedelic

  Bretisilocin

  Bretisilocin, designated GM-2505 and chemically described as 5-fluoro-N-methyl-N-ethyltryptamine or 5F-MET, is a DMT-related serotonergic psychedelic drug candidate. It was developed within Gilgamesh's discovery portfolio and was acquired by AbbVie in August 2025 in a transaction reported as potentially worth up to $1.2 billion. No approved indication or marketed product status is identified in the supplied material.

• Kappa-opioid receptor agonist

  GM-3009

  GM-3009 is a noribogaine-related investigational compound characterized as a kappa-opioid receptor agonist. It represents a branch of Gilgamesh's research beyond classical serotonergic psychedelics and reflects the company's interest in applying related psychoactive scaffolds to new medicinal chemistry programs. Specific development milestones and therapeutic indications are not provided in the available reference.

• Non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogen

  GM-5022

  GM-5022 is described as a non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogen. The candidate belongs to Gilgamesh's effort to identify compounds that may produce psychoplastogenic or neural-plasticity-related effects without the hallucinatory effects associated with classical psychedelic drugs. The supplied material does not specify its clinical status, target indication, or ownership after the AbbVie transactions.

• Serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist

  GM-2040

  GM-2040 has been identified as a potential Gilgamesh candidate and is described as a putatively non-hallucinogenic serotonin 5-HT2A receptor agonist. Its proposed profile places it within the company's search for psychedelic-related mechanisms that could be developed as medicines without conventional hallucinogenic effects. The available material does not confirm whether the program advanced beyond discovery.

• 2025

  Transfer of bretisilocin to AbbVieM&A

  Background

  Bretisilocin, also known as GM-2505, was one of Gilgamesh's DMT-related serotonergic psychedelic drug candidates.

  Action taken

  AbbVie acquired bretisilocin from Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals in August 2025.

  Aftermath

  The transaction moved ownership or development control of a prominent Gilgamesh candidate to AbbVie and was reported as potentially worth up to $1.2 billion.

  Potential transaction value. Up to $1.2 billion (August 2025)

  Source

• 2024

  Option and rights agreement for non-hallucinogenic psychoplastogensM&A

  Background

  Gilgamesh was developing novel psychoplastogens designed to pursue therapeutic neural-plasticity effects without hallucinogenic activity. AbbVie entered an optional agreement covering rights to these compounds.

  Action taken

  AbbVie agreed to pay $65 million upfront and provided for potential additional payments of up to $1.95 billion for a series of psychoplastogens.

  Aftermath

  The agreement gave AbbVie a pathway to obtain rights to Gilgamesh's psychoplastogen research while providing the discovery-stage company with a major pharmaceutical development partner.

  Upfront payment and potential milestone or other payments. $65 million upfront; up to $1.95 billion in potential additional payments (2024 agreement)

  Source

1. 1Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticalsen.wikipedia.org