Axelopran Phase 2b Study
Opioid analgesics such as morphine continue to play a critical role in chronic cancer and non-cancer pain control.
Despite their effectiveness, opioids have significant drawbacks, notably the development of analgesic tolerance and physical dependence, sedation, respiratory depression and bowel dysfunction.
Opioid-induced constipation (OIC) is common, affecting up to 80% of patients receiving opioids for chronic non-cancer pain.
Axelopran (formerly TD-1211) is an investigational, peripherally selective, multivalent mu-opioid receptor antagonist designed to alleviate gastrointestinal side effects of opioid therapy without affecting analgesia.
Safety and efficacy results, including the primary and key secondary endpoints, from a 5-week, Phase 2b study in chronic non-cancer pain OIC patients have been previously reported.
Since OIC is not prone to tolerance and patients can experience OIC for the duration of opioid therapy, patients were divided into short and long duration of OIC groups (<5 and ≥5 years) to explore if OIC duration impacts axelopran treatment response.
