Therapeutic focus

MEDICAL OVERVIEW

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Therapeutic focus » Medical overview

Superior properties treating neuropathic pain

PharmNovo aims to develop novel drugs with superior clinical properties to treat patients with neuropathic pain using our knowledge and experience in drug design and G protein-coupled receptor pharmacology. Our specific pharmacological target is the delta opioid receptor (DOR).

Chronic neuropathic pain can occur after trauma or from some diseases, including viral infection,  and diabetes, resulting in pain that does not resolve. This kind of pain has no survival value and, indeed, results in a real reduction in sufferers’ quality of life.

PharmNovo’s primary goal is to target the multiple disease areas of chronic neuropathic pain and the commonly associated conditions of anxiety and depression. However, there are other evidence-based therapeutic targets, including post-surgical and cancer pain, migraine, pruritus (itch) and chronic cough. These disease areas have mechanistic commonalities susceptible to the company’s novel approach to drug discovery.

PharmNovo’s development strategy initially focuses on sensory hypersensitivity conditions, such as neuropathic pain with mechanical allodynia  which is a   hard-to-treat component I of many  neuropathic pain states. This condition can be studied clinically with more objective measures (quantitative sensory testing)  in addition to the commonly applied subjective approaches (patient-reported outcomes) used in trials of other chronic pain medicines.

Neuropathic pain

  • Neuropathic pain, also called nerve pain, occurs when a health condition affects the nerves that carry sensations to your brain.
  • Neuropathic pain is characterized by abnormal hypersensitivity to stimuli, including  allodynia, a condition in which pain is caused by a stimulus that does not usually elicit pain.
  • Neuropathic pain is caused by damage or disease affecting the sensory system. About 30% of all neuropathic pain happens because of diabetes.
  • Neuropathic pain is usually chronic; the body just sends pain signals to your brain unprompted. Neuropathic pain tends to get worse over time.
  • Most of the available treatments for neuropathic pain have only moderate efficacy and produce side effects that limit their use; therefore, there is a great need for new therapeutic approaches.

Latest news

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July 17, 2024

17.5 MEUR blended funding from EIC

PharmNovo is very pleased to announce that we have been awarded a 2.5 MEUR grant and an opportunity for up to 15 MEUR equity investment from the European Innovation Council (EIC) for innovative pain treatment. The equity part being contingent on investments of equal amounts from co-investors.

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June 5, 2024

PharmNovo presenting at the Global Forum

On May 29–30, BioStock hosted the Global Forum. The event is the first of its kind, aimed at bringing together growth stage Nordic life science companies looking to expand into new markets and experts armed with a profound knowledge of how business is done across the globe.

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March 21, 2024

Positive final Phase I results

The final results from the Phase I clinical for our neuropathic pain drug candidate PN6047, demonstrates safety and tolerability and a lack of the adverse effects commonly associated with conventional opioids. The findings from the Phase I trial show that PN6047 is safe and well-tolerated at the doses tested, with no serious adverse events reported.

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March 10, 2024

Meet Bengt von Mentzer, founder and Chief scientific advisor

Bengt von Mentzer founded PharmNovo 16 years ago, and today, his visionary approach and scientific process still drive the development of the groundbreaking compound PN6047. At the intersection of innovation and scientific leadership, Bengt von Mentzer is paving the way for how to reshape the landscape of chronic pain treatment.

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