leisure time -WSS

leisure time

author：leisure time 2025-08-28 03:34:16 - browse：2275

Vertex Pharmaceuticals - sunset — Bill Sikes/AP

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has spent decades trying to develop molecules that reduce pain safely and potently, searching for success in a field its own executives have dubbed a graveyard for drug discovery. Detailed data published Wednesday lent support to that quest, with a pair of company-sponsored clinical trials showing an experimental non-opioid therapy reduced pain after surgery.

The drug, VX-548, blocks signals from pain-sensitive neurons before those electrical messages reach the brain. And in a pair of randomized trials, patients given a high dose of the oral medication after bunion surgery or abdominoplasty (a tummy tuck) reported less pain than those given a placebo. Those taking lower doses of the treatment showed no improvement compared to the placebo group, however.

While the pain reduction measured by these Phase 2 trials was statistically significant, it’s unclear how meaningful the drug’s benefits were to patients, with a commentary accompanying the study describing the treatment effect as “small.” But the study authors noted that participants on a high dose of VX-548 were less likely to prematurely stop their treatment because it wasn’t working than those on placebo or participants given a combination of two common painkillers, acetaminophen and hydrocodone.

Unlock this article by subscribing to STAT+ and enjoy your first 30 days free!

GET STARTED Log In

Previous article： Guidelines to prevent youth baseball injuries need more muscle
Next article： Ending racial health disparities hinges on penalties, political will

focus

WSS

7 more heat

EF3 tornado rips through North Carolina amid extreme weather nationwide

Readout Newsletter: Bluebird, CVS, Contineum

Orchard's therapy for neuron disease in children wins FDA approval

DeSantis talks Trump, trans issues and 'what wokeness is'

Nurses recount patients attacks

leisure time

leisure time

focus

Psychedelics group wrestles with new pharma identity

SCOTUS questions limit to govt efforts to fight misinformation

Virginia high school admissions case could be legal follow

Nurses recount patients attacks

Apple is now the first public company to be valued at $3 trillion

Positive childhood experiences can help future health

How to save PrEP access — and even expand it

Ending racial health disparities hinges on penalties, political will

At least 13 dead in Texas as scorching temps continue

Driven by the pandemic, applicants flood public health schools

hotspot

Tocagen's brain cancer gene therapy trial continues. Investors worry

Readout Newsletter: Geron, Novo Nordisk, WuXi updates

AstraZeneca to buy developer of next

Judge rejects Trump's request to move Stormy Daniels hush

App could help diagnose ear infections more accurately — and at home

Plastic surgeons increase patient psychiatric screenings

knowledge

focus

entertainment

focus