About Our Portfolio
NeurogesX is pursuing a broad-based approach to chronic pain treatment, by investigating mechanisms that treat pain at the most effective point, whether peripherally,in the limbs and organs, or in the central nervous system. Our product development strategy is targeting the peripheral nervous system based on advances in transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 receptor (TRPV1) biology. Our initial focus is on neuropathic pain, one of the most challenging and complex medical conditions to treat.
Neuropathic pain often involves both the peripheral and the central nervous systems and it may manifest in relation to diverse medical conditions. Current therapeutic options in neuropathic pain usually provide only partial pain relief and are often associated with systemic side effects and inconvenient dosing regimens. All of these facts can be frustrating to both patients and healthcare professionals who are looking for effective ways to relieve the pain.
Our goal is to optimize pain therapies with known or predictable safety profiles. Our most advanced product candidate, NGX-4010, is a cutaneous (skin) patch designed to treat peripheral neuropathic pain conditions. NGX-4010 has completed two Phase 3 clinical trials that have met their primary endpoints, one in postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and one in painful HIV-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy (HIV-DSP). To build a proprietary portfolio of pain management solutions, we intend to expand the use of NGX-4010 for other indications, including painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). We are also developing a non-patch liquid formulation of trans-capsaicin, NGX-1998, and an opioid analgesic prodrug for use in the management of more severe pain conditions, such as cancer pain. A prodrug is a drug precursor that becomes active after chemical conversion by a metabolic process.
The table below summarizes the status of the candidates in our product development program.
