Neurox's inroad into untreatable pain

Neurex Inc. said it has seen positive early results in what is potentially the first new class of analgesics in 50 years. The new drug, SNX-111, appears to be particularly effective in easing a type of pain that has been untreatable.

The Menlo Park, Calif., company was to report results today from the first segment of its Phase I/II study to treat severe pain in terminally ill cancer patients who are resistant to morphine. SNX-111 is a peptide that acts as an n-channel blocker, a class of calcium channel blockers localized to the pre-synaptic terminal that blocks neurotransmitter release...