BioCentury
ARTICLE | Product Development

Perception into pain

How researchers are improving pain trials to pave the way for new analgesics

March 30, 2018 8:21 PM UTC

Against the backdrop of the snowballing opioid crisis, drugmakers are aiming to get new therapies to patients faster by making pain trials more efficient and lower risk. New patient stratification methods are contributing to the cause, and are making inroads into pain biology that could ultimately cause a shift to treatment based on how, rather than where, pain arises.

Near-term opportunities for tackling the crisis include developing modified versions of opioids with lower addictive or abuse potential. And therapies to tackle addiction are also in development...