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Published on: February 13, 2018
NGX-4010, a high-concentration capsaicin dermal patch for lasting relief of peripheral neuropathic pain
Christopher Noto1, Marco Pappagallo, Arpad Szallasi
1Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, New York, NY 10029, USA.
Abstract:
NeurogesX Inc is developing NGX-4010, a rapid-delivery dermal patch application system that contains high-concentration trans-capsaicin, for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain. Capsaicin evokes a lasting and reversible refractory state in primary sensory neurons involved in the generation and maintenance of neuropathic pain. NGX-4010 can be applied to the painful skin area up to a total surface area of 1120 cm2. In phase I clinical trials, NGX-4010 increased the threshold for warmth detection, reduced epidermal sensory nerve fiber density and was well tolerated. In phase II trials, NGX-4010 was effective in reducing pain in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), HIV-associated distal sensory neuropathy (HIV-DSP) and painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Data from phase III trials in patients with PHN demonstrated that significantly more pain relief was achieved by NGX-4010 (30 to 32% reduction from baseline) compared with a low-concentration capsaicin active control (20 to 24% reduction); however, only one of two studies involving patients with HIV-DSP met the primary endpoint. NGX-4010 appears to have the potential to be an effective adjunctive or a stand-alone therapy for PHN, as well as potentially for HIV-DSP and PDN. NGX-4010 has been granted approval by the European Commission and an NDA has been accepted for filing by the FDA.
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