Cara Therapeutics today announced that CR845, a peptide-based opioid used to curb acute post-operative pain, showed positive results in a Phase II clinical trial.
The Phase II trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of CR845 in women undergoing a laparoscopic hysterectomy. The trial enrolled 203 patients at 22 sites across the U.S. The opioid was shown to significantly reduce postoperative pain — patients receiving both a pre- and post-operative dose of CR845 required 33 percent less morphine over 24 hours compared to the placebo group. Pre- and post-surgical dosing of CR845 was also associated with a decreased in the common opioid-related side effects of nausea and vomiting. Researchers noted that CR845 did not produce any of the central nervous system-related side effects seen with centrally-acting kappa opioids.
"Postoperative pain is still poorly managed, and there is a need for novel anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs for perioperative pain management," said study investigator Tong Gan, MD, professor of anesthesiology and vice chair for clinical research at Duke University. "These results indicate that this new class of anti-inflammatory can potentially be used in a multimodal analgesic strategy, including preoperative dosing, to improve postoperative pain and reduce the need for morphine and other opioids."
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The Phase II trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of CR845 in women undergoing a laparoscopic hysterectomy. The trial enrolled 203 patients at 22 sites across the U.S. The opioid was shown to significantly reduce postoperative pain — patients receiving both a pre- and post-operative dose of CR845 required 33 percent less morphine over 24 hours compared to the placebo group. Pre- and post-surgical dosing of CR845 was also associated with a decreased in the common opioid-related side effects of nausea and vomiting. Researchers noted that CR845 did not produce any of the central nervous system-related side effects seen with centrally-acting kappa opioids.
"Postoperative pain is still poorly managed, and there is a need for novel anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs for perioperative pain management," said study investigator Tong Gan, MD, professor of anesthesiology and vice chair for clinical research at Duke University. "These results indicate that this new class of anti-inflammatory can potentially be used in a multimodal analgesic strategy, including preoperative dosing, to improve postoperative pain and reduce the need for morphine and other opioids."
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