Grünenthal joins German research network to advance next-generation pain therapies

Grünenthal has joined Germany's CNATM innovation network to accelerate research into gene-targeting treatments for chronic pain, epilepsy and neurological diseases.

New collaborations between pharmaceutical companies and research organisations are helping to speed up the search for better treatments for some of the world's most challenging health conditions.

One of the latest partnerships could help advance innovative therapies for people living with chronic pain and a range of neurological disorders.

Grünenthal, a global pharmaceutical company specialising in pain management, has announced that it has joined the Cluster for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Munich (CNATM), an innovation network bringing together leading universities, research institutes, biotechnology companies and industry partners across Germany.

The collaboration aims to accelerate the development of next-generation nucleic acid medicines – an exciting area of medical research that has the potential to transform how certain diseases are treated.

Unlike many conventional medicines, nucleic acid therapeutics work by targeting the genetic instructions inside cells. Two of the most promising approaches are antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) and small interfering RNA (siRNA). These therapies are designed to influence how genes are expressed, potentially preventing harmful proteins from being produced or helping restore normal cellular function.

Over recent years, Grünenthal has invested heavily in developing expertise in these technologies, particularly for conditions involving chronic pain and diseases affecting the nervous system.

By joining CNATM, the company hopes to improve its understanding of how these therapies can be designed and delivered more effectively, especially to nerve cells involved in pain, epilepsy and neurodegenerative conditions.

Dr Uli Brödl, Chief Scientific Officer at Grünenthal, told That's Health that the partnership would connect cutting-edge academic science with a strong focus on improving outcomes for patients.

He explained that joining the network would allow Grünenthal's scientists to work alongside leading experts who share the ambition of tackling unmet medical needs through innovation.

The CNATM network includes researchers from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, the Technical University of Munich, the Universities of Regensburg and Würzburg, the Helmholtz Centre Munich, alongside 14 biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies working in genetic medicine.

The cluster forms part of Germany's national Clusters4Future programme and receives funding from the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. Its goal is to turn promising discoveries in nucleic acid science into practical treatments that could eventually benefit patients around the world.

While these therapies are still under development, collaborations such as this highlight the growing momentum behind genetic medicine. For people living with chronic pain, epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases, continued investment in research offers hope that tomorrow's treatments could be more precise, more effective and capable of targeting disease in entirely new ways.

http://www.grunenthal.com

New Pain Relief Research Offers Hope for Millions, Reports That's Health

Millions of people around the world live with pain every day, whether recovering from surgery, managing an injury or coping with a long-term condition. 

Now, encouraging new research from pharmaceutical company Grünenthal suggests that a completely new type of pain treatment could one day offer an effective alternative to traditional opioid medications.

The company has announced the successful completion of a Phase I clinical trial for an investigational medicine that works in an entirely different way from existing opioid painkillers. The study involved 113 healthy volunteers and found the compound to be safe and well tolerated, with no dose-related pattern of adverse effects observed during the trial.

While the treatment is still in development and has not yet been approved for patient use, the results represent an important milestone.

Grünenthal plans to begin a larger Phase II clinical trial later this year, involving around 400 patients in the United States who are undergoing bunion surgery. Bunionectomy is widely recognised by researchers as an effective way to evaluate how well new pain medicines perform after surgery. Results from this next stage of the research are expected during the second half of 2027.

A Different Way to Treat Pain

What makes this investigational medicine particularly exciting is that it targets the body's nociceptin (NOP) receptor rather than the opioid receptors affected by conventional opioid drugs.

Researchers believe this unique mechanism of action could provide meaningful pain relief while avoiding many of the side effects that have long been associated with opioid medicines, including drowsiness, constipation and respiratory depression. Importantly, no signs suggesting abuse potential were observed during the Phase I study, although much larger trials will be needed to confirm these early findings.

Dr Uli Brödl, Chief Scientific Officer at Grünenthal, said the company hopes selective activation of the nociceptin receptor could introduce an entirely new option for treating both acute and chronic pain.

Why This Matters

Pain management remains one of the biggest challenges in modern healthcare. While opioid medicines play an important role for many patients, concerns about side effects, dependence and misuse have driven researchers worldwide to search for safer alternatives.

Every successful step in developing new pain therapies brings fresh optimism for people living with painful conditions. Although there is still a long road ahead before this investigational medicine could become widely available, the completion of a successful Phase I trial is an encouraging sign.

As further clinical trials continue over the coming years, researchers will be looking to confirm whether this innovative treatment can provide the effective, long-lasting pain relief that so many patients need while maintaining a favourable safety profile.

For anyone affected by chronic pain or facing future surgery, developments like these offer genuine hope that the next generation of pain treatments could be both safer and more effective than many of today's options.

grunenthal.com

Grünenthal takes full ownership of Grünenthal Meds, the joint venture established with Kyowa Kirin for its established medicines brands

Grünenthal today announced it has acquired Kyowa Kirin International’s 49% stake in ‘Grünenthal Meds’, taking full ownership of the company formed via a joint venture and its portfolio of established medicines.

‘Grünenthal Meds’ was created in 2023 as a joint venture between Grünenthal (51%) and Kyowa Kirin International (49%), the EMEA business of the Japanese-based global specialty pharmaceutical company. 

Over the past three years, the joint venture operated as a separate entity with eight affiliates, managing a growing €170 million portfolio of 12 established brands across six therapeutic areas and more than 60 markets. 

Key products included Abstral® and PecFent® (Fentanyl) for breakthrough cancer pain, Moventig® (Naloxegol) for opioid-induced constipation and Adcal-D3® (calcium and vitamin D3) for osteoporosis.

“Thanks to the outstanding expertise and commitment of our teams in Grünenthal and Grünenthal Meds, we were able to manage this complex portfolio across regions, generate growth, and create synergies with our infrastructure – all while executing a staggered integration approach,” said Gabriel Baertschi, CEO of Grünenthal told That's Health.

“The integration of ‘Grünenthal Meds’ confirms our leading capabilities in deal execution and integration and successfully concludes one of the most complex undertakings of our M&A journey, which stretched far beyond a merger or asset deal.”

The ongoing integration of ‘Grünenthal Meds’ includes the transfer of over 200 marketing authorisations, approximately 150 product-country combinations, and several tech transfers in close alignment with a broad landscape of partners and contract manufacturing organisations. 

Grünenthal expects to complete the integration by June 2026. At this point, Grünenthal will commercialise the ‘Grünenthal Meds’ portfolio through Grünenthal affiliates in major European markets and via international partners in additional territories.

The acquisition of ‘Grünenthal Meds’ is based on an option agreed with Kyowa Kirin International at the beginning of the joint venture collaboration. The transaction supports Grünenthal’s long-term growth strategy. Since 2017, Grünenthal has closed successful acquisitions with a total expected deal value of more than €2.3 billion, strengthening and diversifying its portfolio while leveraging synergies across manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and commercial operations.

Grünenthal is a global leader in pain management and related diseases. As a science-based, fully integrated pharmaceutical company, they have a long track record of bringing innovative treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients worldwide. Their purpose is to change lives for the better – and innovation is their passion. They focus their activities and efforts on working towards their vision of a World Free of Pain.

Grünenthal is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, and has affiliates in 28 countries across Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. Their products are available in  some 100 countries. 

In 2024, Grünenthal employed around 4,300 people and achieved revenues of €1.8 billion.

More information: www.grunenthal.com

Grünenthal licenses exclusive Australian rights to Qutenza® to Clinect

Grünenthal, a global leader in pain management and related diseases, and Clinect Pty Ltd ("Clinect"), an Australian based company focussed on supporting access to unique products, announced today that they have entered into a definitive agreement whereby Clinect will have the exclusive Australian rights to Qutenza®, a topical, non-systemic, non-opioid patch indicated for the management of peripheral neuropathic pain. 

Under the agreement, Clinect will be responsible for obtaining marketing authorisation for Qutenza® in Australia and, upon approval, marketing and distributing the product in Australia.

"We firmly believe in the benefits that this non-opioid treatment option can provide to people suffering from peripheral neuropathic pain and continue to work on expanding its footprint to reach more patients worldwide," Jan Adams, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Grünenthal told That's Health.

"Clinect is an experienced specialist with a strong presence in Australia, and I look forward to joining forces with their team to bring our brand to Australia, a major market of the Asia-Pacific region."

"We value the opportunity to work alongside Grünenthal, a global leader in pain management, to introduce Qutenza® to the Australian market,” said Merryn Wallace, General Manager at Clinect. “This agreement reflects our shared commitment to improving patient outcomes and aligns with Clinect’s strategy of partnering with companies who bring truly differentiated therapies to our region."

Grünenthal acquired the global rights to Qutenza® in 2018 as part of its M&A-driven growth strategy. Since 2017, the company has invested more than €2.3 billion in successful M&A transactions, diversifying its portfolio, enhancing its profitability, and driving business growth. Grünenthal continues to expand the footprint of the acquired brands and to create synergies throughout Grünenthal's infrastructure, including manufacturing, supply, logistics, and commercial activities.

In Europe, Qutenza is indicated for the treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain in adults, either alone or in combination with other medicinal products for the treatment of pain. For further information, please visit www.grunenthalhealth.com.

www.grunenthal.com

Grünenthal’s proprietary NaV 1.8 inhibitor enters clinical development

Grünenthal has announced that the first healthy volunteers have been enrolled in a Phase I trial of its voltage-gated sodium channel (NaV) 1.8 inhibitor. 

The orally administered investigational medicine aims to provide a non-opioid therapy option across a range of acute and chronic pain conditions. Full results of the trial are expected in the second half of this year, 2026.

The Phase I trial will involve 70 healthy volunteers and comprises a Single Ascending Dose and a Multiple Ascending Dose part. It aims to assess the safety and tolerability profile and the pharmacokinetic characteristics of the investigational medicine. In addition, the trial will generate initial insights into the compound’s pharmacology through a cold-pressor test.

“Inhibition of NaV 1.8 offers an exciting opportunity to provide patients with urgently needed non-opioid pain therapies,” Uli Brödl, Chief Scientific Officer, Grünenthal, told That's Health.

 “While we have seen the first medicine targeting NaV 1.8 receive FDA approval last year, we are committed to driving further innovation in this field where advanced assets may provide enhanced patient outcomes by blocking NaV 1.8 more comprehensively.”

About voltage-gated sodium channels (NaV)

There are a total of nine different NaV channels in the human body. The NaV 1.8 channel is a clinically and genetically validated pain target, as the channel plays a significant role in triggering excitatory signals in nociceptive neurons, which the human brain perceives as pain. Blocking the NaV 1.8 channel to suppress or prevent its excitatory signalling will provide a significant analgesic effect across a range of chronic and acute pain conditions.

FACTFILE:

Grünenthal is a global leader in pain management and related diseases. As a science-based, fully integrated pharmaceutical company, they have a long track record of bringing innovative treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients worldwide. Their purpose is to change lives for the better – and innovation is their passion. They focus all  their activities and efforts on working towards our vision of a World Free of Pain.

Grünenthal is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, and has affiliates in 28 countries across Europe, Latin America, and the U.S. 

Their products are available in approx. 100 countries. In 2024, Grünenthal employed around 4,300 people and achieved revenues of €1.8 billion.

For more information visit: https://www.grunenthal.com.