Southampton scientists develop drug to end period pains

But for many, period pains are much more than annoyance, they are debilitating.

Now scientists in Southampton say they are on the verge of a breakthrough that could spell the end of chronic period pain.

They have developed a drug which taken as prescribed medicine could treat the cause of agonising stomach cramps, a condition known as dysmenorrhoea.

The drug is undergoing the second phase of tests and is being trialled on 128 women aged between 18 and 35 in both the UK and US.

The women taking part in the trial will be given a sixday course of the medication during their cycle.

If proven to be effective the drug could be benefiting millions of women within four years.

The drug, known as VA111913, was developed in the labs at Southamptonbased Vantia Therapeutics, an emerging pharmaceutical company.

Based at the Southampton Science Park in Chilworth, the company employs around 30 people in the field of clinical research but hopes successful trials in a number of drugs could lead to major expansion of the firm.

Chief executive Dr Jim Phillips said: “I think it would be fair to call it a breakthrough, there is certainly no other treatment like it.

“From our research there is nothing to suggest it won’t work.”

The drug works by targeting the muscles that contract, causing the pain. By targeting the soft muscle in the uterus wall, scientists believe the drug will ‘normalise’ the contraction and effectively stop the contraction being felt in the first place.

“This has the potential to directly target the cause of dysmenorrhoea by acting on the smooth muscle in the uterus wall. We believe this could offer an effective alternative to over-the-counter painkillers,” added Dr Phillips.

Although there are scores of painkillers on the market, there is no treatment specifically targeted at period pains.

Chief medical officer Hilary McElwaine-Johnn said: “We found that what was on the market did not meet the need of those women who can’t even get to work because of the pain or to school in the young.”

If successful, the company could win a slice of the therapeutic market for period pains estimated to be worth $1bn.

Dr Phillips said the revenue from the drug could run into the multi-millions. “We won’t get any revenue from it for at least five years, but if it is successful we would be looking for commercialisation partnerships that in the United States would be worth tens of millions of dollars.’’ The results of the trial, which is taking place over the next two months, will be known by the middle of next year.