BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Nav(1.7)igating pain

Convergence data show safety, efficacy of Nav1.7 blocker in neuralgia pain

June 23, 2014 7:00 AM UTC

Data reported by Convergence Pharmaceuticals Ltd. last week for CNV1014802 to treat trigeminal neuralgia gave the first Phase II evidence that systemic Nav1.7 blockers can treat pain safely and effectively. The data also lend further support to the theory that part-time blockage of the channel is enough to be effective.

The Nav1.7 (SCN9A) channel is found on pain-responsive neurons. It was identified as a target for pain disorders in 2006 with the discovery of loss-of-function mutations in members of several families with congenital insensitivity to pain...