A new experimental nonopioid pain reliever is showing promise in treating back pain where other medications had not provided total relief. Tanezumab is a drug that targets "nerve growth factor," a protein in your blood that causes sensitivity to pain. Dr. Saranita shares, "What we know about the mechanism of action is that Tanezumab binds to nerve growth factor, which prevents pain signals from reaching the brain."
Dr. Saranita adds, "In clinical study Tanezumab was given by injection about every other month to 1,800 patients. The patients in the clinical study were suffering from very challenging to treat low back pain. The study demonstrated that after 4-months of injections patients experienced greater relief than those taking a drug called Tramadol, which is an opioid pain reliever."
Dr. Paez believes this is an important study, but with all treatments he must weigh the risks and benefits. Dr. Paez shares, "This is an exciting breakthrough for chronic pain. As physicians and scientists, we need additional tools to treat pain. We also need to build upon these steps forward in developing more options for pain relief."
Dr. Paez leads the South Lake Medical Research team and provided some history on this study, "Both Eli Lilly and Pfizer have jointly been working on the development of Tanezumab for over a decade to provide a nonopioid medication to effectively treat low back pain. Some of the current medication options to treat low back pain are opioids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDS) drugs such as ibuprofen, but as we all know opioids can become addictive and NSAIDS can cause gastrointestinal bleeding with overuse."
With any drug there are side effects, Dr. Paez shares Tanezumab like other nerve growth factor inhibitors can have side effects. "NGF inhibitors have been linked in the past to a form of osteoarthritis. However, as physicians we outweigh the various risks associated with treatment options for our patients experiencing significant low back pain. Over 80% of Americans experience low back pain with 20% becoming quite chronic and challenging to treat. As clinicians we must always weigh the risks and benefits of treatment options. This is done hand-in-hand with the patient and what is appropriate for their personal condition combined with overall health."
Tanezumab is currently under review by the Food and Drug Administration with a final decision anticipated late this year.
