Ep. 263, Chapter 2: Better Defining And Treating Pain With Hernan Bazan, M.D.

9:36 – 22:33

South Rampart Pharma’s lead candidate, SRP-001, is a novel, non-opioid pain treatment whose design was inspired by the well-known liver toxicity of acetaminophen (Tylenol), which is caused by a metabolite called NAPQI. South Rampart Pharma’s medicinal chemists created a library of compounds that maintain the analgesic effects of acetaminophen while blocking the formation of this toxic metabolite. The design also aims to avoid the gastrointestinal and renal toxicities associated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and the addiction risks of opioids.

A key challenge in pain research is the subjective nature of pain itself. To address this, the company has partnered with an expert in designing acute pain trials to ensure their Phase 2 clinical trials are methodologically sound and can produce reliable data. While there are currently no objective biomarkers for pain, Dr. Bazan believes future proteomic studies, similar to recent research in Alzheimer’s, could help identify specific biomarkers for different types of pain, which would revolutionize both clinical trials and personalized treatment.