Summary of Clinical Use

Fulranumab progressed to Phase 3 clinical trial as a potential therapy for pain associated with osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, either as a monotherapy or as an adjunct to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory treatment. However, despite demonstraing safety and efficacy in earlier trials [7-8], all fulranumab clinical studies were prematurely discontinued by the sponsor (Janssen Research & Development) in early 2016, for business reasons [4]. Kelly et al. (2019) analysed the limited data available from the terminated Phase 3 studies, which confirmed the safety and efficacy of this anti-NGF antibody in osteoarthritis pain mitigation [5].

Mechanism Of Action and Pharmacodynamic Effects

An extensive body of evidence indicates a pivotal contribution of NGF to pain mechanisms in the adult mammalian nervous system, with elevated levels of NGF reported in several painful conditions in humans [2-3]. Fulranumab specifically neutralizes the biological actions of human NGF, producing sustained clinical pain relief [6].