Pain relief has become a touchy subject.
Although the rate of overdose deaths involving prescription opioids decreased 12% between 2021 and 2022, according to the CDC, the ongoing epidemic still claimed the lives of 82,000 Americans in 2022 as synthetic fentanyl ravages the country.
In the wake of the epidemic and regulators’ crackdown on opioid prescriptions, millions of pain patients have been left without a better solution.
“There’s a huge need for additional research and development on pain management,” said Paul Howe, chief commercial officer for Protega Pharmaceuticals, which recently won approval for an abuse-deterrent opioid.
The opportunity for drugmakers to develop better pain management alternatives is there — 80 million people are prescribed medication to treat acute pain every year in the U.S.,…