Cara rises on Phase IIa pain data

Cara Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:CARA) gained $0.82 to $16 on Wednesday after its oral CR845 showed dose-related efficacy and a tolerable safety profile in a multiple ascending dose Phase IIa trial to treat pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee. The candidate is a long-acting peripheral kappa opioid receptor ( OPRK1; KOR) agonist.

Patients receiving 5 mg of CR845, the 80-patient trial's highest dose, showed a statistically significant reduction in mean joint pain score from baseline compared to three lower doses (p=0.02). The highest dose group also showed a statistically significant increase in the proportion of patients whose OA was "very much improved" or "much improved" as measured by patient global assessment (p=0.02) and a mean 38% reduction from baseline on the Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC). ...