Future Non-Opioid Drugs For Chronic Pain

Today's post from cbinsights.com (see link below) looks towards the future and as today is the first day of a new year, it may be worth keeping an eye out for one or more of these start-up companies who are working on alternatives for opioids in treating chronic pain. Now this blog doesn't believe in the opioids are evil hype of the moment. So many neuropathy patients desperately need their opioid treatments to help lessen the pain if nerve damage - there are currently no alternatives. However, the whole debate has sparked a rush to develop effective non-opioid drugs to tackle the same degree of pain experience and that can only be applauded. This article/post looks at 9 companies doing exactly that (the rest can be found by contacting the source at the end of the article). It's interesting to read about who they are and what their goals are. Hopefully, neuropathy patients will be able to benefit from their efforts in the future.

18 Startups Tackling Pain Without Opioids
December 20, 2017 cbinsights.com

We rounded up 18 startups assisting in management of various pain types from musculoskeletal disorders to pain associated with medical procedures.


Where is this data coming from?

The opioid epidemic is pushing private startups to develop new therapies for acute and chronic pain issues. From new non-opioid drug therapeutics to virtual reality games, these companies are harnessing novel techniques to tackle pain issues.

We used the CB Insights platform to surface 18 of the most notable startups in pain management.

We selected these companies based on the recency and size of their disclosed funding, investor quality, as well as their respective therapeutic approaches.

Of the companies on our list, we included early-stage (Seed / Angel, Series A), mid-stage (Series B, Series C), and late-stage (Series D, Series E+). We exclude companies focusing on addiction management. 

Pain management companies to watch

As of 12/18/17.

1. myoscience



Headquarters: Fremont, California

Disclosed Funding: $109.6M

Select Investors: Accuitive Medical Ventures, American Equities Overseas, De Novo Ventures, Medicis Capital, Saratoga Ventures

MyoScience offers Focused Cold Therapy to target pain resulting from peripheral nerve conditions. Its leading product is the iovera system, a FDA-cleared targeted treatment to provide pain relief. 

2. Prospira PainCare



Headquarters: Mountain View, California

Disclosed Funding: $85.7M

Select Investors: Enhanced Equity Fund, Pulse Equity Partners, Webster Capital

Prospira PainCare provides interdisciplinary pain management services to patients using its network of partnered physicians. By leveraging its network, the company provides individualized care for those with acute or chronic pain. 

3. Centrexion Therapeutics



Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts

Disclosed Funding: $68.6M

Select Investors: Presidio Partners, InterWest Partners

Centrexion Therapeutics develops non-opioid drug therapies to treat those with moderate to severe chronic pain. By using its STRATI technology, Centrexion makes pain alleviating drugs from synthetic forms of capsaicin, a natural analgesic compound found in chili peppers. 

4. Kineta



Headquarters: Seattle, Washington

Disclosed Funding: $68.5M

Select Investors: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Health, Wellcome Trust

Kineta develops therapeutics derived from natural ingredients to function as analgesics as an alternative to opioids. Its lead product is a venom that comes from a small cone snail native to Caribbean Sea. 

5. SPR Therapeutics



Headquarters: Beachwood, Ohio

Disclosed Funding: $43.3M

Select Investors: Frontcourt Group

SPR Therapeutics uses its peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) platform technology to treat both acute and chronic pain. Other neurostimulation pain therapies are in development to target musculoskeletal pain, neuropathic pain, and post-surgical pain.

6. Axial Healthcare



Headquarters: Nashville, Tennessee

Disclosed Funding: $26.3M

Select Investors: .406 Ventures, BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners, Oak HC/FT Partners, Sandbox Industries

Axial Healthcare is a pain management solutions company with platforms that link physicians, health insurers, pain clinics, and patients together. The company’s 4 software products facilitate this and give a higher degree of insight to each party. 

7. Vapogenix



Headquarters: Houston, Texas

Disclosed Funding: $17.2M

Select Investors: Pamoja Capital, Green Park & Golf Ventures, IrishAngels

Vapogenix is developing non-opioid analgesics for localized pain management associated with procedures, wounds, and inflammation. Its lead product is a rapidly acting topical analgesic for pain relief in situations such as minor dermatological procedures.

8. CONCENTRIC ANALGESICS



Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Disclosed Funding: $13.7M

Select Investors: N/A

Concentric Analgesics is a drug discovery and development company focused on localized therapeutics for pain associated with surgery recovery, chronic osteoarthritis, and cancer. The company develops water-soluble inactive compounds that convert into active drugs once metabolized in the body, which then desensitize pain. 

9. hinge health



Headquarters: San Francisco, California

Disclosed Funding: $11.3M

Select Investors: Atomico, Eleven Two Capital, Jon Reynolds, The Vertical Group

Hinge Health provides a connected wearable device and software platform for managing chronic pain specifically for musculoskeletal disorders. Its 3 core pillars include exercise therapy, coaching & lifestyle, and education accompanying the device.


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