Vertex non-opioid pain drug meets main goal in late-stage trials - SRN News

Vertex Pharmaceuticals said on Tuesday its experimental non-opioid drug for treating post-surgical pain met the main goal in late stage trials but was not any more effective than some commonly used painkillers.
When compared with a placebo, the drug was more effective in reducing the intensity of pain, measured by patients’ self-reported rating of their discomfort, after 48 hours in the two late-stage studies.
The treatment, however, failed to meet a secondary goal of reducing pain when compared to acetaminophen or hydrocodone. Vertex’s drug, “VX-548”, works by blocking pain signals at its origin before it reaches the brain.