Exhibit 5.1

September 15, 2020

PaxMedica, Inc. 

50 Tice Boulevard, Suite A26
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel for PaxMedica, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with the preparation and filing of a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-239676) (the “Registration Statement”), including a related prospectus filed with the Registration Statement (the “Prospectus”), with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) covering an underwritten public offering of up to 2,875,000 shares (the “Shares”) of common stock par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”), including 375,000 Shares that may be sold by the Company pursuant to the exercise of an over-allotment option granted to the underwriters. The Shares are to be sold by the Company pursuant to an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) to be entered into between the Company and the several underwriters named therein. This opinion is being rendered in connection with the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission.

In connection with this opinion, we have examined originals or copies (certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction) of (i) the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, and Bylaws, as currently in effect, (ii) the form of the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, filed as Exhibit 3.2 to the Registration Statement and the form of Amended and Restated Bylaws, filed as Exhibit 3.4 to the Registration Statement, each of which will be in effect upon closing of the offering contemplated by the Registration Statement, (iii) the Registration Statement and related Prospectus, (iv) the form of Underwriting Agreement and (v) such corporate records, agreements, documents and other instruments, and such certificates or comparable documents of public officials or of officers and representatives of the Company, as we have deemed relevant and necessary as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth.

In such examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed or photostatic copies, and the authenticity of the originals of such latter documents. As to certain questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied upon certificates or comparable documents of officers and representatives of the Company and have not sought to independently verify such facts.

Based on the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Shares, when issued and sold as contemplated in the Registration Statement and the related Prospectus, and upon payment and delivery in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

The opinion expressed herein is limited to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (including reported judicial decisions interpreting the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware) and we express no opinion as to the effect on the matters covered by this letter of the laws of any other jurisdiction.

We hereby consent to the filing of this letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to our firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus which is a part of the Registration Statement. In giving such consents, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.