Guangzhou Fermion Technology Co. Ltd. has announced IND clearance by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for FZ-008-145 to treat pain.

Novel non-addicting analgetic therapies are urgently needed to reduce the use of opiates as painkillers. With the recent discovery that nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the immune system can be stimulated to decrease the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the cholinergic anti-inflammatory systems (CAS) have generated significant interest in treating pain associated with inflammation.

Just over a year since the last anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) antibody program was axed, the target is poised for a revival, with Levicept Ltd. announcing it has completed recruitment to a phase II trial of LEVI-04 in the control of chronic pain caused by osteoarthritis.

Bsense Bio Therapeutics Ltd. has nominated BSEN-760, a dual Kv7.2/3 and TRPV1 ion channel modulator, as a clinical candidate for the treatment of chronic pain.