Organon partners academia for painkiller research

Organon has announced that it has partnered with University Medical Centre Gronigen and clinical research group PRA International to be involved in a TI Pharma project investigating innovative painkillers.

The organisation will collaborate on this research project at the Neuro-imaging Pain Centre at Oxford University in the UK. It will involve tMRI scanning techniques to observe the role of the brain in pain sensation.

It will investigate the subjective nature of pain, including the manner in which wellbeing, attention and fear affect the experience of pain for the individual.

Dr W Timmerman at PRA International said: “With a method to objectively measure pain, drugs in development can be tested.

“By using this technology, we can decide at a very early stage that a new drug has no meaningful effect on pain.”

He added that in such cases, resources can be saved for more efficient use on other pharmaceuticals, which will benefit the patient population.

PRA International reported that the study could enable pharmaceutical companies develop drugs in a shorter timeframe with greater effectiveness, in addition to developing treatments for traditionally difficult to treat pain.

In April, Organon announced that a number of its staff was investigating pharmacogenetics – the role of individual hereditary factors in pharmaceuticals.