Other publications
Further prospective systematic observations from an exploratory study in patients with neuropathic cancer pain.
Positive signals in a randomized, phase-II placebo-controlled proof of concept trial using EGFR-inhibition in CRPS and compressed nerve injury.
Ten institutions have reported dramatic relief of neuropathic pain after treatment with EGFR-inhibitors in >100 patients.
In summary, AKIGAI founders Christian Kersten and Marte Cameron believe that EGFR-inhibitors could ultimately help 3 out of 4 patients with neuropathic pain. “We see almost immediate effects, sometimes like turning a switch, without the need for dose titration and without central nervous system side effects or problems related to abuse and addiction”.
Why hasn’t anyone seen it before?
A question that is frequently asked. Millions of cancer patients around the globe have been treated with EGFR-inhibitors during the past 20 years.
So why hasn’t anyone reported this before?
Perfect alignment: A series of circumstances, vigilance, clinical acumen, and serendipity.
The COIN and NORDIC VII trials (which together included over 2000 patients with colorectal cancer) reported significant reduction in peripheral neuropathy among the patients treated with an EGFR-inhibitor.
Actually, physicians from at least 10 different hospitals have reported the same observations.
Academic drug trials using available EGFR-inhibitors are deterred by high drug prices while the market license holders of these drugs may be concerned that their cancer markets could be cannibalized by cheaper pain drugs.
Neither academic medicine nor big pharma will therefore forward this innovation in its current state. For this reason, the AKIGAI founders established a biotech start-up to bring the pre-clinical and clinical findings from bench and bedside, back to patients suffering from neuropathic pain.