Vertex’s non-opioid painkiller shows promise in people recovering from surgery
New England Council member, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, has a new pill that has significantly reduced acute pain in people recovering from recent surgeries, without being addictive. These results are encouraging, Vertex still needs to test the drug in a larger clinical trial before seeking approval.
The goal of this new medication is to allow doctors and patients to have something stronger than over-the-counter medications without the risks that come with opioids. In its studies, vertex compared multiple doses of the drug with placebo pills, in two medium-sized clinical trials. In a study of 274 people recovering from surgical removal of bunions, and in a study of 303 people recovering from tummy tuck surgery, the highest tested dose of Vertex’s drug significantly reduced pain compared with a placebo. But the treatment was not without side effects. Nausea, headaches, and dizziness were relatively common. Scientists have been trying to develop non-addictive painkillers for many years, and Vertex is now bringing it one step closer.
“There is an enormous need for novel non-opioid analgesics with no abuse liability,” and Vertex’s results are an “important advance,” said Dr. Clifford J. Woolf, director of the F.M. Kirby Neurobiology Center and Boston Children’s Hospital. It will be important for Vertex to determine whether the drug also works for patients with chronic pain, such as diabetic neuropathy and low back pain, “where the clinical need is highest,” he added.
The New England Council would like to commend Vertex Pharmaceuticals for their work toward new treatment options for patients in need.
Read more in the Boston Globe.