QRxPharma to Sponsor Symposium at 13th World Congress on Pain Meeting
Dual Opioid® Therapy Has Potential to Change Opioid Treatment Paradigm
SYDNEY and BEDMINSTER, N.J., Aug. 31 /PRNewswire/ -- QRxPharma
announced today it will sponsor a symposium at the 13th World
Congress of Pain on 31 August, 2010 at Palais des congres de
Montreal. The symposium, titled "Dual Opioid Therapy: Changing the
Paradigm" will focus on preclinical and clinical data for
MoxDuo®IR, an immediate-release Dual Opioid product for
moderate to severe acute pain. Featured speakers who will highlight
Dual Opioids at this symposium are internationally recognised pain
experts, Drs. Nicholson, Pasternak and Webster.
In addition to the symposium, QRxPharma was invited to present
three posters on September 2, from 9:30-10:30 with the results from
MoxDuo IR comparative trials:
-- "Morphine Equivalent Doses of Dual Opioid Treatment With Morphine Plus
Oxycodone Versus Morphine and Oxycodone Monotherapy for Post-Operative
Pain: Safety and Analgesic Profiles"
-- "Treatment of Post-Operative Pain With a Dual Opioid Combination of
Morphine and Oxycodone: Analgesia and Side Effects"
-- "An Active Controlled Evaluation of the Efficacy and Safety of Dual
Opioid Treatment With Morphine Plus Oxycodone for Acute Pain Following
Total Knee Arthroplasty"
In the recently completed Phase 3 Combination Rule Study, MoxDuo
IR demonstrated both a statistically superior analgesic effect
compared to morphine and oxycodone alone as well as a favourable
side effect profile despite delivering twice the opioid dose of its
individual components. The Company is currently completing its
final Phase 3 registration trial for MoxDuo IR in patients who have
undergone total knee replacement surgery.
When compared to other opioids at equi-analgesic doses, MoxDuo
IR reduced the occurrence rate and intensity of moderate to severe
nausea, vomiting and dizziness by 50-75% or more (study 021) and
demonstrated when such Adverse Events (AEs) do occur they are
frequently of shorter duration among MoxDuo IR subjects than the
controls.
According to a report published in 2006 in The British Journal
of Pharmacology(1), the search for an analgesic that combines
opioid-like efficacy without the well known adverse event profile
associated with these drugs has been likened to that for the "Holy
Grail" of pain therapy. The rate of occurrence for nausea,
vomiting, dizziness, sedation, and constipation, are estimated to
occur in "tens of millions" of Americans suffering from acute and
chronic pain every year(2). Incremental costs to the health care
system for GI events caused by opioids alone are estimated to range
from $4,880 to $36,152 per patient(3).
Therefore, the ability of MoxDuo IR to markedly reduce the
occurrence of moderate-severe AEs has important clinical and
economic benefits. Having demonstrated reductions of 50%-75% of
adverse events, MoxDuo IR opens the therapeutic window for acute
pain patients suffering from moderate to severe pain and provides
the potential for significant healthcare cost reductions in the
treatment of patients receiving opioid therapy.
About QRxPharma
QRxPharma is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company
focused on the development and commercialisation of new treatments
for pain management and central nervous system (CNS) disorders.
Based on a development strategy which focuses on enhancing and
expanding the clinical utility of currently marketed compounds, the
Company's product portfolio includes both late and early stage
clinical drug candidates with the potential for reduced risk,
abbreviated development paths, and improved patient outcomes. The
Company intends to directly commercialise its products in the US
and seek strategic partnerships for worldwide markets. QRxPharma's
lead product candidate, MoxDuo®IR, is in Phase 3 clinical
development and has successfully completed multiple comparative
studies evaluating its efficacy and safety against equianalgesic
doses of morphine, oxycodone and Percocet® for the treatment of
acute pain. Data collected from these studies provided additional
guidance for optimizing the design and initiation of two pivotal
Phase 3 studies required for New Drug Application (NDA) filings
with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). QRxPharma expects
to complete its Phase 3 program Q4 2010 and file its NDA for
MoxDuo®IR by Q1 2011. The Company's preclinical and clinical
pipeline includes other technologies in the fields of pain
management, neurodegenerative disease and venomics. For more
information, visit www.qrxpharma.com.
About IASP
The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is
the leading professional forum for science, practice, and education
in the field of pain. The biennial World Congress on Pain meeting,
is the world's largest pain-related gathering, and is international
and multidisciplinary in scope.
(1)75 years of opioid research: the exciting but vain quest for
the Holy Grail - Alistair D. Corbett, Graeme Henderson, Alexander
T. McKnight and Stewart J. Paterson: British Journal of
Pharmacology (2006) 147, S153-162.
(2)Gregorian Jr., RS et al. J Pain (May 2010); (EPub ahead of
Print): 1-14
(3)Kwong JW, et al. Ann Pharmacotherapy (2010); 44:630-640
Source: QRxPharma
CONTACT: Alicia Moran, +1-410-991-7027, for QRxPharma
Web Site: http://www.qrxpharma.com/
Posted: August 2010
