Nektar Therapeutics (NKTR) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, has designated NKTR-181 as a Fast Track development program for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic pain. NKTR-181 is a novel mu-opioid agonist molecule, which is designed to have a slow rate of entry into the brain to reduce the attractiveness of the molecule as a target of abuse and to reduce its CNS-mediated side effects.
NKTR-181 was created using Nektar's proprietary polymer conjugate technology and its potential differentiating properties are inherent to the design of the new molecule. NKTR-181 is an NCE and as a new molecular structure does not rely on a formulation approach to prevent its conversion into an abusable form of an opioid.
Robert Medve, chief medical officer of Nektar, stated, "NKTR-181 could have significant advantages over currently-available opioids, including reduced attractiveness for abuse and reduced CNS-mediated side effects, such as sedation and respiratory depression. As a new chemical entity with these properties, we believe NKTR-181 has the potential to transform the treatment of chronic pain. We are excited about advancing NKTR-181 into Phase 2 development in July of this year."
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com