The Phase IIa results continue a surge of momentum in a treatment space that last week saw the approval of Vertex’s Journavx as the first novel mechanism for acute pain in decades.
There’s more good news in the pain space. Days after the FDA approval of Vertex’s Journavx, clinical-stage biotech Algiax Pharmaceuticals announced positive Phase IIa data for its own non-opioid painkiller in patients with chronic neuropathic pain.
Patients with post-surgical neuropathic pain treated with Algiax’s AP-325 saw persistent drops in pain within two weeks of treatment, with between 50% and 70% of patients responding. At the end of the trial, which enrolled 99 patients across Europe, the Dusseldorf, Germany–based company reported that more than 25% of AP-325-treated patients had a 50% reduction in pain, compared to just 11% of those receiving placebo. Participants also showed improvements in sleep quality and reduction in anxiety and depression scores, according to Algiax. No significant safety concerns were reported.
Neuropathic pain is a potentially chronic condition stemming from damage to nervous tissue. With AP-325, Algiax is targeting the GABAA signaling pathway in the hopes of avoiding opioid receptors.
“With a lack of non-opioid treatment options for chronic neuropathic pain, there is a remaining high need for millions of patients worldwide,” Algiax CSO Guido Koopmans said in a statement.
Algiax’s news represents continued momentum this year in the non-opioid pain space. Last week, Vertex secured FDA approval for sodium-channel targeting Journavx—the first novel treatment for acute pain in decades. This followed Tris Pharma’s positive Phase III data readout for its dual-NMR agonist cebranopadol.
