Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Cara Therapeutics wins patent for new opioid painkiller

By Mass High Tech Staff

Connecticut-based biotech company Cara Therapeutics Inc. reports that it has won a patent for compounds that act as novel pain killers.

According to officials at Shelton, Conn.-based Cara, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued the patent entitled “Synthetic Peptide Amides” under its Accelerated Examination Program, from an application that was filed on November 12, 2007.

The patent covers Cara’s second generation, peripherally-selective kappa opioid receptor agonist compounds, one of which is in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The compound is in development for injectable and oral delivery for the treatment of acute and chronic pain of visceral, inflammatory and neuropathic origin, and to treat the itching associated with several diseases and conditions.

Animal studies showed that CR845 was effective in treating pain for up to 18 hours after a single dose, company officials said, in either intravenous, subcutaneous or oral delivery. And, unlike currently marketed opioids, CR845 did not show any signs of addiction in animal models.

Privately held Cara Therapeutics is focused on developing new therapeutics to treat pain and inflammation.