Singapore – A non-opioid drug developed by Pfizer and Eli Lilly met the main goals of a late-stage study, in which over half of the patients reported a significant reduction in osteoarthritis pain of the knee or hip.

Pfizer and Lilly's drug, tanezumab, belongs to a new category of pain medications that target nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein involved in the growth of nerve cells.

Data from the trial of the drug, tanezumab, is meaningful since patients had moderate-to-severe pain and were unable to achieve proper relief with other treatments, including opioids.

The companies plan to apply for marketing approval for tanezumab with the FDA next year; if approved, the drug would be the first in-class non-opioid treatment for osteoarthritis.