Post Herpetic Neuralgia | Unmet Need | US/EU | 2016
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) has served—and continues to serve—as a gateway indication into the lucrative neuropathic pain (NP) therapy market. Drugs such as Pfizer’s Lyrica (pregabalin), gabapentin (Pfizer’s Neurontin, generics), and the 5% lidocaine patch (Endo/Grünenthal’s Lidoderm/Versatis, generics) all capitalized on their approvals for PHN in the United States and Europe to achieve wider commercial success in the treatment of other forms of NP, such as neuropathic back pain and postsurgical/post-trauma NP. Despite the availability of multiple generic analgesics and well-established treatments for PHN, the substantial percentage of patients refractory to treatment, the high rate of polypharmacy, and the large unmet need associated with pain treatment make PHN—and NP overall—an area of commercial opportunity.
