A Nevada licensing issue is delaying US production of Wafermine, a ketamine wafer being developed by iX Biopharma under a nearly $41 million Defense Department contract for battlefield pain.

The Defense Department awarded Singapore-based iX Biopharma a nearly $41 million non-competitive contract in February to develop Wafermine. Its US manufacturing partner, Nevada-based Orion Specialty Labs, is FDA-registered but lacks a Nevada state operating licence, delaying production as iX Biopharma targets a late-2026 FDA EUA filing.