AMT-143
We’ve developed an opioid-free formulation for the sustained release of an anaesthetic with our AmacaGel platform.
Bringing AMT-143 to market would benefit patients, doctors and other healthcare stakeholders who are concerned about the impact of addictive medications.
Without altering the way surgeons currently practice, AMT-143 is locally injected via syringe at the time of surgery, and has been calibrated to provide sustained post-operative pain control to enable patients to get through to recovery.
In July 2020, AmacaThera received approval from Health Canada to proceed into Phase 1 Clinical Trials for AMT-143.
The short video explains how AMT-143, our first formulation, addresses the critical 72-hour postoperative period when patients report the highest pain levels. When approved, it may help to reduce patients’ risk of opioid dependency while increasing relief.
Why 48 hours is a magic number for pain relief
Approximately 51 million Americans undergo inpatient surgery annually, and opioids remain a primary modality for postoperative acute pain management.
The economic cost of prescription opioid-related overdose, abuse, and dependence exceeds $78.5 billion annually, with the majority of costs related to health care, substance abuse treatment and lost productivity.
AMT-143 is well positioned to address this market gap. Currently, finding an analgesic capable of providing over 48 hours of effective, post-surgical pain relief in a single dose is the biggest barrier to unlocking this market.
Why are the first 48 hours so critical?
When formulating AMT-143, we interviewed dozens of surgeons about their practices and asked them about the patient experience. They observed that it’s during this period that convalescing patients report the highest experience of pain. Providing an opioid-free solution during this interval would theoretically reduce the risk of opioid addiction while improving surgical outcomes.
With this goal in mind, we’ve tuned AMT-143 to release its analgesic compound over a three-day window. Our preclinical studies suggest that as the gel warms to match body temperature, its drug payload will be slowly distributed and absorbed into the body.