EN | RU
EN | RU

Help Support

Back

NaV1.8 inhibition by VX-548: A game changer in acute pain management

Acute pain Acute pain
Acute pain Acute pain

What's new?

VX-548 effectively diminishes post-surgery pain, especially when administered at higher doses.

In an astonishing medical breakthrough, researchers have unveiled the stunning potential of a cutting-edge drug, VX-548, which has demonstrated a remarkable ability to alleviate acute pain in two groundbreaking clinical trials. The secret behind this game-changing discovery lies in the targeted inhibition of the NaV1.8 voltage-gated sodium channel, a key player in transmitting pain signals.

After conducting extensive in vitro tests to confirm VX-548's selectivity in inhibiting NaV1.8, Jim Jones et al. embarked on two ambitious phase 2 trials as below:

Abdominoplasty Trial: This trial included 303 participants who had undergone abdominoplasty surgery and were subjected to one of four treatment cohorts:

High-dose VX-548: Every 12 hours, participants received a loading dose of VX-548 100 mg orally and then, a maintenance dose of 50 mg

Middle-dose VX-548: Participants received a loading dose of VX-548 60 mg and then, a maintenance dose of 30 mg every 12 hours

Hydrocodone bitartrate plus Acetaminophen: Participants received Hydrocodone bitartrate 5 mg plus Acetaminophen 325 mg every 6 hours

Placebo: Participants received a placebo at 6-hour intervals

 

Bunionectomy Trial: This trial involved 274 participants who had undergone bunionectomy surgery and were subjected to one of five treatment cohorts:

Participants received a high dose of VX-548

Participants received a middle dose of VX-548

Low-dose VX-548: Participants received a loading dose of VX-548 20 mg orally, and then a maintenance dose of 10 mg every 12 hours

Hydrocodone bitartrate plus Acetaminophen: Participants received Hydrocodone bitartrate 5 mg plus Acetaminophen 325 mg every 6 hours

Placebo: Participants received a placebo at 6-hour intervals

 

The primary endpoint focused on the time-weighted sum of the pain-intensity difference (SPID) measured over a 48-hour period (SPID48), which was calculated as per the scores from the Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Pain intensity was evaluated at 19 time points following the initial dose of VX-548 or placebo. The substantial reduction in the time-weighted SPID48 achieved with high-dose VX-548 compared to the placebo group after abdominoplasty and bunionectomy surgeries are displayed in the following Table 1:

In both trials, the study participants who received lower doses of VX-548 displayed similar results as placebo. Mild adverse events (constipation and headache) were observed with the use of VX-548. These findings highlight the significant potential of high-dose VX-548 in reducing acute pain over 48 hours after the surgical procedures under consideration.

Source:

The New England Journal of Medicine

Article:

Selective Inhibition of NaV1.8 with VX-548 for Acute Pain

Authors:

Jim Jones et al.

Comments (0)

You want to delete this comment? Please mention comment Invalid Text Content Text Content cannot me more than 1000 Something Went Wrong Cancel Confirm Confirm Delete Hide Replies View Replies View Replies en ru
Try: