Vertex claims success on its non-opioid pain drug, pushing candidate into pivotal trials

Vertex may soon have three irons in the fire in the biotech’s bid to repeat the scientific and financial success of its blockbuster cystic fibrosis medicines.

The company on Thursday released positive results from a pair of Phase II trials for its non-opioid program, announcing that the experimental pill significantly reduced patients’ pain compared to placebo in two post-operative trials. One trial looked at patients who had just received a bunionectomy, the other in patients who received abdominoplasty — the medical term for a “tummy tuck.”