Tectin (drug)

Tectin is the brand name of a pain killing drug currently in development by WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc. The drug comes from a toxin in the pufferfish called tetrodotoxin, a very potent neurotoxin which shuts down electrical signaling in nerves by binding to the pores of sodium channel proteins in nerve cell membranes.

Tectin holds promise to relieve severe pain when other standard pain relievers are found to be ineffective. It is also being researched as a drug to relieve the symptoms of withdrawal in opiate addicts.The drug showed promising results in a phase IIa clinical trial for the treatment of cancer related pain.cite journal | author = Hagen NA, Fisher KM, Lapointe B, du Souich P, Chary S, Moulin D, Sellers E, Ngoc AH | title = An open-label, multi-dose efficacy and safety study of intramuscular tetrodotoxin in patients with severe cancer-related pain | journal = J Pain Symptom Manage | volume = 34 | issue = 2 | pages = 171–82 | year = 2007 | month = August | pmid = 17662911 | doi = 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2006.11.008 | url = | issn = | accessdate = 2008-05-02] However interim results from a phase IIb/III clinical trial where the drug did not meet the primary efficacy goal has led to the termination of this trial.cite web | url = http://www.wextech.ca/products/tectin.htm | title = Tectin | author = | authorlink = | coauthors = | date = | format = | work = | publisher = WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc. | pages = | language = | archiveurl = | archivedate = | quote = | accessdate = 2008-05-02]

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