STAT+: Pfizer hopes for a happy ending for an osteoarthritis drug with a troubled history
For more than a decade, Pfizer has run dozens of trials in hopes of eventually marketing a treatment for osteoarthritic pain, but critics argue the Food and Drug Administration would be mistaken to approve the drug over concerns it could do more harm than good.
The debate has emerged as the agency hosts a two-day meeting of experts, which began on Wednesday morning, to assess tanezumab. The company has run 40 studies over the years to prove its injectable medicine can relieve pain, while not causing stomach problems or stroke risks associated with some pain relievers. Another plus: the drug is not addictive, which is a concern with opioids.
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