Vertex Pharma scientist talks about the long road to developing non-addictive painkillers
Patients suffering from pain have limited options when it comes to medication
WASHINGTON — For decades, patients seeking medication for pain have had two choices: over-the-counter drugs like aspirin or powerful prescription opioids like oxycodone.
Opioid prescriptions have plummeted over the last decade as doctors have become more attuned to the risks of addiction and misuse during the country’s ongoing drug epidemic.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals recently reported positive results for a non-opioid painkiller, one of several medications the Boston-based drugmaker has been developing for various forms of pain. Patients taking the drug after surgery experienced more pain relief than those getting a placebo, although the drug didn’t meet a secondary goal of outperforming treatment with an opioid.
The Associated Press spoke with Vertex’s chief scientist Dr. David Altshuler about the company’s research and development plans. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: Why is Vertex interested in new drugs for treating pain?
There is a great need for additional medicines to help people manage pain. There are medicines like Tylenol that are modestly effective but they’re very well tolerated. And there’s medicines such as opioids that are very effective but unfortunately have side effects, as well as addictive potential.
Identifying additional medicines that could be used for people who need more pain relief but don’t want to take the risks of opioids would be helpful for society.
Q: How did you develop these drugs?
Vertex has been working on this for 20 years, and the insight that led to the medicines actually came from studies of people who had a rare condition where they are insensitive to pain. They can feel things,
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