Panel Discussion: Is NaV1.8 the Silver Bullet for Pain, or Does Clinical Success Depend on Matching Mechanism to Pain Biology?

9:30 am - Wednesday 27th January 2027

  • Is pain better viewed as a collection of biologically distinct diseases?
  • Which pain phenotypes are most likely to benefit from NaV1.8 inhibition?
  • Where might alternative mechanisms out perform sodium channel blockade?
  • Why do promising assets continue to fail despite compelling target biology?
  • How should developers match mechanism, indication and patient population to improve clinical success?

Speakers:

Director - Office of Preclinical Pain Research
Laboratory of Molecular Medicine & Neuroscience NINDS NIH
professor
University of Texas at Dallas
Senior Vice President & Disease Area Executive
Vertex Pharmaceuticals