Serguei Melnik: Fentanyl Patches Impossible to Abuse – The Mission to End the Opioid Crisis

From Soviet immigrant to NASDAQ CEO, Serguei Melnik is racing to bring the world’s first truly abuse-deterrent fentanyl patch to market — and end accidental overdoses for good.Full Episode Summary / Show NotesSerguei Melnik never planned to fight the opioid crisis. After ringing the opening bell at the NYSE in 2003 for his first public company (a Moldovan wine producer), taking multiple companies public, and semi-retiring, a chance Thanksgiving-weekend meeting in Las Vegas in 2015 changed everything.That meeting introduced him to Gareth Sheridan and a tiny company with a big idea: coat fentanyl transdermal patches with an aversive layer (capsaicin + bitter agents) that makes abuse virtually impossible — without changing how the drug works for legitimate patients.Eight years, one NASDAQ IPO (2021), and a partnership with Kindeva Drug Delivery (formerly part of 3M) later, Nutriband is on the cusp of FDA approval for AVERSA™ Fentanyl — the first abuse-deterrent transdermal fentanyl system.In this raw, no-BS conversation, Serguei shares:Why he left investment banking and “semi-retirement” to go all-in on medtechThe 22-year-old bottle of cognac he saved to celebrate the IPO with his 30-years-younger co-founderHow AVERSA™ makes fentanyl patches taste horrific and chemically impossible to abuseThe surprising 505(b)(2) path that needs only one human abuse-liability studyWhy he believes safe patches will actually reduce street fentanyl deathsHis core life motto: “You only have two pains — the pain of discipline or the pain of regret”A story of immigrant hustle, unbreakable founder trust, and a mission to make the world’s most dangerous painkiller safe again.Chapters00:00 – Cold Open: “Once we make pain patches safe, opioid abuse changes forever” 00:33 – Welcome & Intro 01:30 – From Soviet Union to ringing the NYSE bell in 2003 03:02 – “I just don’t want to be poor” – the real driver behind the hustle 04:53 – The core value that killed every deal before Nutriband: Honesty 06:31 – The 22-year-old cognac saved for the 2021 NASDAQ IPO 06:58 – Why Nutriband’s mission became personal 10:42 – How AVERSA™ actually works (taste + chemistry = no abuse) 12:13 – The 505(b)(2) shortcut & upcoming human abuse-liability study 14:10 – Manufacturing strategy, Kindeva partnership, and the role of 4P Therapeutics 16:14 – What Serguei will be most proud of (hint: it’s not the IPO) 17:02 – One message to the world about safe pain relief 18:19 – Advice to his 25-year-old self: “Don’t change anything” 18:42 – How to connect with Serguei & Nutriband 19:11 – OutroKeywords Serguei Melnik, Nutriband, AVERSA Fentanyl, abuse-deterrent fentanyl, opioid crisis, fentanyl patch, transdermal technology, medtech, NASDAQ IPO, Kindeva, 505b2, human abuse study, pain management, public health, immigrant entrepreneur, Soviet Union to Wall Street, Getting Real Podcast