Bicifadine (DOV-220,075) is a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor (SNDRI) discovered at

American Cyanamid American Cyanamid Company was an American manufacturing conglomerate. It began as a fertilizer company and added many additional lines of business before merging with American Home Products in 1994. The combined company sold off most of its di ...

as an

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

drug candidate, and licensed to DOV Pharmaceutical in 1998 after American Cyanamid was acquired by

Wyeth Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc. was a pharmaceutical company until it was purchased by Pfizer in 2009. The company was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1860 as John Wyeth and Brother. Its headquarters moved to Collegeville, Pennsylvania, a ...

. In January 2007, Dov licensed the rights to bicifadine to XTL Biopharmaceuticals after bicifadine failed in a Phase III clinical trial for chronic lower back pain. XTL ran a PhaseIIb clinical trial for pain caused by

diabetic neuropathy Diabetic neuropathy includes various types of nerve damage associated with diabetes mellitus. The most common form, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, affects 30% of all diabetic patients. Studies suggests that cutaneous nerve branches, such as the s ...

, which failed in 2008; XTL terminated the agreement in 2010. In 2010 Dov was acquired by Euthymics Bioscience which intended to continue development of other candidates from Dov's portfolio.Fierce Biotech July 22, 201
Euthymics lands $24M to fund antidepressant work
/ref> Bicifadine has a non-

opioid Opioids are a class of Drug, drugs that derive from, or mimic, natural substances found in the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy plant. Opioids work on opioid receptors in the brain and other organs to produce a variety of morphine-like effects, ...

, non-

NSAID Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) are members of a therapeutic drug class which reduces pain, decreases inflammation, decreases fever, and prevents blood clots. Side effects depend on the specific drug, its dose and duration of ...

mechanism Mechanism may refer to: *Mechanism (economics), a set of rules for a game designed to achieve a certain outcome **Mechanism design, the study of such mechanisms *Mechanism (engineering), rigid bodies connected by joints in order to accomplish a ...

for the treatment of pain, which should have less abuse potential than opioid drugs and less propensity to cause gastric ulcers than NSAID drugs. While the drug is purported to be a

serotonin Serotonin (), also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter with a wide range of functions in both the central nervous system (CNS) and also peripheral tissues. It is involved in mood, cognition, reward, learning, ...

(SERT) and

noradrenaline transporter The norepinephrine transporter (NET), also known as noradrenaline transporter (NAT), is a protein that in humans is encoded by the solute carrier family 6 member 2 (SLC6A2) gene. NET is a monoamine transporter and is responsible for the sodium ...

(NET) inhibitor, it also has effects at the

dopamine transporter The dopamine transporter (DAT, also sodium-dependent dopamine transporter) is a membrane-spanning protein coded for in humans by the ''SLC6A3'' gene (also known as ''DAT1''), that pumps the neurotransmitter dopamine out of the synaptic cleft ba ...

(DAT), effectively making it a broad-spectrum

monoamine transporter Monoamine transporters (MATs) are proteins that function as integral Cell membrane, plasma-membrane Neurotransmitter transporter, transporters to regulate concentrations of extracellular monoamine neurotransmitters. The three major classes are se ...

inhibitor or "

triple reuptake inhibitor Triple is used in several contexts to mean "threefold" or a " treble": Sports * Triple (baseball), a three-base hit * A basketball three-point field goal * A figure skating jump with three rotations * In bowling terms, three strikes in a row * ...

References

{{Monoamine reuptake inhibitors Abandoned drugs Analgesics Cyclopropanes Pyrrolidines Serotonin–norepinephrine–dopamine reuptake inhibitors 4-Tolyl compounds

See also

References