<code id='CD8114AD50'></code><style id='CD8114AD50'></style>
    • <acronym id='CD8114AD50'></acronym>
      <center id='CD8114AD50'><center id='CD8114AD50'><tfoot id='CD8114AD50'></tfoot></center><abbr id='CD8114AD50'><dir id='CD8114AD50'><tfoot id='CD8114AD50'></tfoot><noframes id='CD8114AD50'>

    • <optgroup id='CD8114AD50'><strike id='CD8114AD50'><sup id='CD8114AD50'></sup></strike><code id='CD8114AD50'></code></optgroup>
        1. <b id='CD8114AD50'><label id='CD8114AD50'><select id='CD8114AD50'><dt id='CD8114AD50'><span id='CD8114AD50'></span></dt></select></label></b><u id='CD8114AD50'></u>
          <i id='CD8114AD50'><strike id='CD8114AD50'><tt id='CD8114AD50'><pre id='CD8114AD50'></pre></tt></strike></i>

          
          WSS
          Vertex Pharmaceuticals - sunset
          Bill Sikes/AP

          Vertex Pharmaceuticals has spent decades trying to develop molecules that reduce pain safely and potently, searching for success in a field its own executives have dubbed a graveyard for drug discovery. Detailed data published Wednesday lent support to that quest, with a pair of company-sponsored clinical trials showing an experimental non-opioid therapy reduced pain after surgery.

          The drug, VX-548, blocks signals from pain-sensitive neurons before those electrical messages reach the brain. And in a pair of randomized trials, patients given a high dose of the oral medication after bunion surgery or abdominoplasty (a tummy tuck) reported less pain than those given a placebo. Those taking lower doses of the treatment showed no improvement compared to the placebo group, however.

          advertisement

          While the pain reduction measured by these Phase 2 trials was statistically significant, it’s unclear how meaningful the drug’s benefits were to patients, with a commentary accompanying the study describing the treatment effect as “small.” But the study authors noted that participants on a high dose of VX-548 were less likely to prematurely stop their treatment because it wasn’t working than those on placebo or participants given a combination of two common painkillers, acetaminophen and hydrocodone.

          Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your first 30 days free!

          GET STARTED Log In

          Leave your comment

          Please enter your name
          Please enter your comment

          fashion