Cesamet, a synthetic cannabinoid, was launched by Valeant in the US in 2006 for the treatment of nausea and vomiting associated with cancer chemotherapy in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conventional antiemetic treatments. Cesamet was also recently approved in Mexico for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and pain.
“There are more than 150,000 new cases of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain per year in the US, with no current approved therapy for these patients,” explained said Wes Wheeler, president of Valeant North America/R&D. “The development of a new agent to control chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain would fulfill a significant unmet need for patients and physicians to treat the symptoms from chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain,”
A report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) regarding the treatment of chronic pain concluded that a cannabinoid could potentially be useful for chemotherapy patients and those with peripheral neuropathic pain. In its report, the IOM also noted that clinical studies of cannabinoids should be prioritized.
Although there are currently no approved treatments for chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, treatments for other types of neuropathy include opioids, tricyclic antidepressants, GABA analogs and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. According to an article in the journal PAIN, the treatment of neuropathic pain is still difficult despite new therapies, and there is no single therapy that works for all conditions and their underlying mechanisms.