BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Sept. 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Opioid Crisis" is expected to produce 60,000 overdose deaths in the USA this year. Prescription opioid use is more common among patients affected by mental health conditions, such as anxiety disorders. Thus, the crisis is due not only to addictive opioid pain medicines, but also addictive anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines (e.g., alprazolam, clonazepam). Last year the FDA issued a black box warning against the coincident use of both types of drugs.
A pharmaceutical research company, Trends in Pharma Development, has developed PanX®, a new class of anti-anxiety medicines that are intended as alternatives to addictive benzodiazepines. This year the company received its third US patent (9,616,052) that claims the treatment of anxiety symptoms associated with drug addiction and withdrawal.
The company's three issued patents broadly cover drug combinations of historically-safe and non-addicting active ingredients for the treatment of anxiety. The active ingredients are beta blockers and motion sickness (antimuscarinic) agents. The company's goal for the new class of medicines is to provide effective, fast-acting, and non-addicting treatments for anxiety.
The products are currently available as prescription compounded drugs. Ashley Benjamin, MD, a psychiatrist working in Los Angeles has experience prescribing one of the compounded drugs. Dr. Benjamin stated, "I have had great success using PanX® on three very difficult patients, who we preferred not be on benzodiazepines, yet had failed other pharmacologic options. I was very impressed and grateful that we have another option."
According to the CEO of the company, Tom Dooley, PhD, "The motivation behind the PanX® drugs was my youngest son, Thomas, who had bad experiences with prescription benzodiazepines as a teenager. This later transitioned into an opioid problem, and he died this year at the age of 24 as one of the victims of the Opioid Crisis."
Dr. Dooley will be speaking on "Confronting the Opioid Crisis" on September 16th in Washington DC at the Eagle Forum's annual conference. He is also featured in an interview on this topic by Kirsi Goldynia on "Sex, Drugs, and Healthcare." For additional information see www.PanX.us .
SOURCE Trends in Pharma Development
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