Lexicon Pharmaceuticals faced a significant setback in its development of non-opioid pain treatments as its candidate pilavapadin failed to meet the primary endpoint in a Phase IIb trial for diabetic neuropathy pain. Despite this disappointment, the company remains committed to advancing the program into late-stage development.
The RELIEF-DPN-1 trial evaluated pilavapadin, an adaptor-associated kinase 1 (AAK1) inhibitor, across multiple dosing regimens in adult patients with diabetes-related pain. The study tested three treatment arms: 10mg for eight weeks, 20mg for eight weeks, or 20mg for one week followed by 10mg for seven weeks.
Results showed pain reductions of 1.74, 1.38, and 1.70 points respectively on the mean average daily pain score (ADPS) across the three dosing groups. However, the placebo arm achieved a 1.31-point reduction, failing to demonstrate statistically meaningful separation between the active drug and placebo.
Safety and Tolerability Profile
The safety assessment revealed adverse effects primarily in the 20mg dose arm, with patients experiencing dizziness and nausea. These findings have helped inform the company's decision to focus on the 10mg dose for future development.
Market Impact and Strategic Direction
The trial results triggered an immediate market response, with Lexicon's shares plummeting by approximately 50% to $0.45 when markets opened Monday. However, Jefferies analysts highlighted a potentially important distinction in the trial design – unlike competitors such as Vertex, Lexicon's study allowed patients to continue background pain therapies during the trial.
"The enormous potential of this investigational medicine has generated significant interest from potential partners, and we intend to accelerate these discussions while we plan for Phase III development," stated Lexicon CEO Mike Exton.
Historical Context and Future Plans
This setback follows a more successful Phase IIa study in 2022, where pilavapadin met its primary endpoints using a different dosing schedule that included a higher loading dose before transitioning to maintenance doses of 10mg or 20mg.
The development comes at a challenging time for Lexicon, which recently faced an FDA rejection for sotagliflozin, its insulin adjunct therapy for type I diabetes. However, the broader landscape for non-opioid painkillers has seen recent success with the FDA's historic approval of Vertex's Journavx, though that drug also experienced challenges in clinical testing before securing approval.
Lexicon plans to present detailed trial data at an upcoming medical meeting while proceeding with preparations for Phase III development of the 10mg dose.
