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 The drug, fasinumab, was tested on 421 patients with a history of
inadequate pain relief or intolerance to current pain killers.
After 16 weeks, patients given fasinumab reported less pain, as
measured on a physician-grade scale, than those given a placebo,
Regeneron said in a statement.
Current treatments for pain management include non-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs, anti-seizure agents, and opiates. However,
these drugs cause multiple side-effects and often prove to be toxic
with long-term use.
Fasinumab binds to nerve growth factor (NGF) proteins and block
their activity, reducing pain.
A number of companies, including Pfizer Inc and Eli Lilly & Co, are
developing drugs that target NGFs.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed fasinumab and other
experimental agents targeting NGF on partial clinical hold in
December 2012 after reports that animals treated with these drugs
had nerve damage.
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Fasinumab is no longer on clinical hold, according to Regeneron's
website.
(Reporting by Amrutha Penumudi in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio
D'Souza)
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