Non-opioid analgesics

The USA continues to wrestle with the legacy of an epidemic of opioid abuse, believed to have cost the lives of over half a million people through overdose.Until the pandemic struck, it looked as though the tide had turned, thanks to remedial actions on the part of drugmakers - prompted no doubt by a raft of lawsuits - as well as changes to prescribing practices.Now, opioid abuse is on the rise again, leading a broad swathe of society, from patients and drugmakers to lawmakers and regulators, to consider the best course of action.For several years, the US Food and Drug Administration has committed to a number of measures designed to encourage the development of non-addictive analgesic alternatives.These changes have created a positive regulatory framework for stem cell specialist Mesoblast (ASX: MSB), a Melbourne-based biotech developing an off-the-shelf cell therapy targeting chronic low back pain (CLBP) - an indication which absorbs half of US opioid prescriptions at present.In Episode 2 of The Pharma Letter Podcast, we discuss this option, as well as the broader therapeutic landscape, with the company's chief executive, Silviu Itescu.