The main goal of Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ late-stage trials was to find a non-opioid drug

Summary: The company’s decades-long effort to bring a non-opioid pain medicine to market was a major milestone when the drug reduced acute, post- surgical pain without the risk of addiction. The drug works by blocking pain signals at their origin before they reach the brain, and the company plans to file for approval in the U.S. by mid-2024. According to analysts, it could achieve annual sales of more than $5 billion. In two late-stage studies, the drug was more effective in reducing the intensity of pain than a placebo was.

The treatment, however, failed to meet the secondary goal of reducing pain when compared to hydrocodone and acetaminophen. The drugmaker’s shares fell to $433.75 in early trading, down more than 3% from their previous close. Analysts hailed the results as a win for Vertex and said the drug was likely to gain approval for treatment of acute pain, offering a much-needed alternative to addictive painkillers that have fueled a national crisis.

“Investors and the company didn’t expect superiority over the drug as there is a huge safety and addiction advantage even without that,” said an analyst. While Vertex’s drug works by blocking pain signals at source, the brain’s reward centers are triggered by the opioids as they travel through the blood. They attach to the brain, causing addiction and abuse. The company said the drug was well-tolerated and safe in trials that tested a total of 2,400 patients. There were a lot of side effects, including nausea and constipation. Attempts to bring new alternatives to the market by drug makers such as Eli Lilly have failed in trials.

This article was inspired by: https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/vertex-non-opioid-pain-drug-succeeds-late-stage-trials-2024-01-30/