Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported early Thursday that its non-opioid drug met the main goal in reducing back pain in a mid-stage study. But Vertex stock plunged as a placebo showed a similar reduction.
Vertex's experimental oral drug suzetrigine, showed a statistically significant meaningful reduction in patients painful lumbosacral radiculopathy (LSR). On the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS), the drug showed a mean change of -2.02 after 12 weeks.
But sciatica patients getting a placebo reported a similar reduction of -1.98.
Hopes have been high for Vertex's non-opioid drug, which has the potential for a massive market.
Vertex Stock
Vertex stock plunged 12% in premarket trade, signaling at least an eight-month low and possibly a two-year low.
Shares fell 4.6% to 447.50 in Wednesday's market sell-off, undercutting the 200-day line.
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