The Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute at Morgantown-based West Virginia University enrolled the first patient in a clinical trial of an injectable non-opioid, non-steroid micropellet for sciatica treatment.
The phase 3 randomized clinical trial involves a clonidine micropellet, which is half the size of a grain of rice and placed in the lower back to combat sciatica pain for up to one year.
Interventional pain company Sollis Therapeutics developed the micropellet as a non-opioid alternative to treat chronic pain caused by sciatica. More than 5 million people in the U.S. suffer from sciatica, which is one of the most common causes of back and leg pain.
"Innovative technologies that act directly at a target location like this micropellet are crucial to reducing the need for systemic medications and opioids for chronic pain," said neurosurgeon Ali Rezai, MD.