The drugmaker, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, said the drug could become an alternative to highly addictive opioids.
Unlike opioids, it works only on peripheral nerves, and not on the brain or spinal cord.
That means it doesnt carry the potential for addiction that opioids do.
Illustration by Julie Bang for Verywell Health
Opioids, on the other hand, can be powerful therapies but come with serious side effects.
Vertex said it will apply for FDA approval by mid-2024.
How Effective Is Vertexs Painkiller?
Additionally, participants who took a placebo saw their pain subside within about eight hours.
And it performed a bit worse against the opioids in the bunionectomy group.
But it has to be better than the medications that we have out there right now.
In December 2023, the companyshared positive resultsfrom a phase 2 trial in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.
It also started a trial for a kind of lower back pain called lumbosacral radiculopathy.
Many patients who were prescribed opioids for pain became addicted.
Providers are generally more careful about prescribing opioids now, and many states now have laws restricting opioid use.
In fact, Norco is made as a combination drug because hydrocodone works better when combined with acetaminophen.
In the earnings call, Vertexs Arbuckle said that the drug fulfilled an enormous unmet need in the market.
Its not going to change the game necessarily, but theyre definitely on the right track, Chopra said.
Im excited to see what they and other companies can do to help people moving forward.
The drug could be a non-addictive alternative to opioids, according to the company.
Hameed S.Nav1.7 and Nav1.8: role in the pathophysiology of pain.Mol Pain.
