Relevare to present at pain congress

Melbourne and San Francisco-based pharma company Relevare Pharmaceuticals will present data demonstrating the effectiveness of its flagship drug CNSB015 in treating neuropathic pain at the Third International Congress on Neuropathic Pain in Athens this month.

CNSB015 is a combination of the non-opioid potassium channel opener, flupirtine, with an opioid. As both drugs operate by different mechanisms, they have a complementary effect, both in terms of efficacy and minimising adverse effects. The company has completed a phase IIa proof-of-concept clinical trial and extension study focussing on HIV neuropathy, which it says has shown appreciable improvements for patients both in terms of pain relief and quality of life when flupirtine is given as an adjunct to opioids.

“There is significant demand for new treatment options among patients with neuropathic pain resulting from conditions such as HIV, cancer and diabetes,” said Mark Blumling, Managing Director of Relevare Pharmaceuticals, adding that flupirtine has been used as an analgesic in Germany for over 20 years.

Later this year Relevare will start a 300 patient phase IIb/III trial with patients in Europe and Australia suffering from opioid-resistant cancer pain. Flupirtine is administered orally and is typically used alongside opioids for the treatment of neuropathic pain. By opening potassium channels in the spinal cord it reduces responsiveness and sensitivity to pain signals. Flupirtine has also been shown to stop / or reverse the development of tolerance to opioid drugs, delivering long term results for flupirtine/opioid combination therapies without the need to increase dosage.