Trigeminal Neuralgia Medications Fall Short of Soothing Chronic Pain

Wednesday 18 July 2012, Amsterdam

People suffering from the severely debilitating effects of trigeminal neuralgia may not see significant improvement to current therapies in the near future, according to the new Trigeminal Neuralgia Therapeutics - Pipeline Assessment and Market Forecasts to 2019 report.

A new report issued by the intelligence provider indicates that the approval of safe and efficacious drugs that can be used to treat the condition effectively over a long-term period may not take place until at least the next decade.

Trigeminal neuralgia, often described as one of the most painful conditions with which to live, is primarily caused by the compression of the fifth cranial nerve (trigeminal nerve), which results in exacerbation and remission of severe facial pain. Trigeminal neuralgia becomes more common in old age, and the condition is chronic and incurable. Therefore, long-term medical treatment is demanded for the symptomatic relief of the intense and frequent bouts of facial pain.

However, despite a growing patient pool due to the aging global population, currently available drug options offer low efficacy and substantial side effects over long durations of treatment, which limits the use of these medications to short-term periods.

The only approved drug on the market is carbamazepine, which is considered to be the first line therapy for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia. Other off-label drugs include oxcarbazepine, phenytoin, lamotrigine, gabapentin, baclofen and Lyrica (pregabalin). Oxcarbazepine is widely used among all off-label drugs and is considered as first line therapy.

Most drug options currently on the market for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia are generic, have a low cost of therapy, and offer good short-term efficacy and safety. However, long-term side effects include constipation, memory loss, drowsiness, dizziness, and involuntary eye and muscle movements. Patients can also develop drug resistance from long-term use.

The current trigeminal neuralgia therapeutics market therefore presents a huge opportunity for ambitious pharmaceutical companies to cater to unmet needs. Unfortunately, this analysis shows that there will be no significant change in the future landscape of the trigeminal neuralgia therapeutics market, as there is no molecule presently in clinical development. This is perhaps due to the poorly explained etiology and pathophysiology of trigeminal neuralgia, which involves various causative factors and multiple mechanistic pathways. This presents a challenging drug development environment, which is not conducive to research into a single drug to offer a blocking of the pathophysiological pathways, which would ultimately present a cure for the disease.

Slow market growth during 2006-2011 can be attributed to the dominance of generic drugs and the associated low cost of therapy. This lack of progression is expected to continue through the remainder of the decade, primarily due to the presence of generics and lack of pipeline activity. The report estimates that the global trigeminal neuralgia therapeutics market was valued at $56.7m in 2011, and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2% over the next eight years to reach $72.9m by 2019, primarily driven by the increasing patient pool due to growing elderly populations.

This report is an essential source of information and analysis on trigeminal neuralgia therapeutics, identifying the key trends shaping and driving the global market. It also provides insights on the prevalent competitive landscape and the emerging players expected to significantly alter the market positioning of the current market leaders. Most importantly, the report provides valuable insights on the pipeline products within the global trigeminal neuralgia therapeutics sector.

This report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and in-house analysis by a team of industry experts.