Novel Frameworks for Pain Management
Competitive Advantages
- Analgesic efficacy lacking sedative properties.
- At least one candidate does not exhibit motor coordination impairments.
- Preliminary ADME-Tox tests were positive.
- Compounds are prepared in a one-pot synthetic step under green chemistry conditions.
Ongoing/Further Developments
Next step will involve to delineate the safety profile of the representative compounds and their evaluation in suitable murine models to address several types of pain.
Next steps are to determine ADME and safety values of a higher number of the set of compounds in order to perform a screening cascade.
Pharmacological studies will follow with the selected compounds to increase data related to analgesic activity. Also, neuro PK, PK/PD and MTD studies shall be done.
Analgesia studies will be performed in those murine models appropriate to evaluate the use of the selected compounds in different types of pain.
Goal
The group is looking for a license agreement, but other collaborations may be considered.
Patent Application
EP25382802.4
Priority date: 31st of July 2025
Reference
UBTT0529
Contact
Marc Salazar Badia
Email: msalazar@fbg.ub.edu
Novel Frameworks for Pain Management
Executive summary
Researchers from UB and UGR, with wide experience in medicinal chemistry, have designed, synthesized, and pharmacologically characterized a set of compounds showing analgesic activity without sedative side effects.
Introduction
Pain remains one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, with a substantial economic and social burden. While current analgesics for moderate and acute pain, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, are effective and widely available, existing treatments for chronic pain still present significant limitations, due to either lack of efficacy or severe side effects.
For instance, first-line treatments for neuropathic pain, such as gabapentinoids offer very limited effectiveness and produce significant dizziness and sleepiness, which limits adherence to treatment.The global pain management drugs market was valued at approximately US$ 80.000 million in 2023 and is projected to reach US$ 120.000 million by 2033, Within this, chronic pain segment is expected to reach US$ 75.000 million in 2034.
This landscape demonstrates a growing demand for safer and more effective alternatives, particularly in the management of neuropathic pain. This represents a significant opportunity. Innovative solutions addressing this unmet need represent a significant business opportunity for potential partners.
Current stage of development
Forty compounds with unprecedented 2-imidazolin phosphonate structure have been designed and synthesized giving rise to a robust Markush formula. The ADME profiles of selected candidates have been assessed to de-risk their development.
5 representative compounds have shown analgesic activity in capsaicin-induced secondary mechanical allodynia murine model, which is known to be predictive of drug effects in neuropathic pain. In addition, compounds show clear dose-response effects with a high potency.
Moreover, one of the tested compounds does not exhibit motor coordination impairments, which as previously mentioned, are among the side effects commonly associated with gabapentinoid-type analgesics.
At this moment, our asset it is situated in TRL3.