Vanda Pharmaceuticals is sponsoring an IndyCar to fuel awareness of its motion sickness pill Nereus. The biotech backed the No. 47 car to represent its ending of the multi-decade wait for a prescription therapy.
Nereus won FDA approval late last year, 47 years after the last new motion sickness drug was introduced in the U.S. Vanda is selling the product directly to patients via a website. Talking on an earnings call in May, Kevin Moran, chief financial officer at Vanda, said a direct-to-consumer campaign that the biotech had “worked on implementing over recent quarters” was a key element of the commercial strategy.
Vanda, which has a history of sports sponsorships, has identified IndyCar as the next platform for getting Nereus in front of consumers. Vanda will be the primary sponsor of Mick Schumacher’s No. 47 IndyCar at four events this year, including the drugmaker’s home race in Washington. The driver, the 2026 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year, is the son of seven-time Formula One champion Michael Schumacher.
Driving for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Schumacher has raced the No. 47 car since the 2026 series started in March. Schumacher’s car number presented Vanda with an opportunity to raise awareness of the 47-year innovation lull that the drugmaker ended by bringing Nereus to market.
Nereus is a selective NK-1 receptor antagonist designed to prevent motion-induced vomiting. Vanda linked the treatment to reduced nausea in participants with a history of motion sickness in phase 3 trials. The biotech conducted two of the studies on boats.
Targeting Nereus revenues of $10 million to $30 million this year, Vanda has made cash-pay sales via its direct-to-patient platform the near-term focus of its launch. The success of the strategy will rest, in part, on Vanda’s ability to raise awareness among the 70 million people it estimates have motion sickness.