AstraZeneca today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Movantik (naloxegol) tablets C-II as the first once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC), in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain.

Opioids play an important role in chronic pain relief and millions of patients are treated with them in the United States each year. They work by binding to mu-receptors in the central nervous system, but they also bind to mu-receptors in the gastrointestinal tract, which can result in patients suffering from OIC.

“The FDA approval of Movantik provides a new treatment option for adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain suffering from opioid-induced constipation, a common side effect of opioid therapy,” said Dr. Briggs Morrison, Executive Vice President, Global Medicines Development & Chief Medical Officer, AstraZeneca. “We are pleased to provide physicians and their patients with a once-daily oral treatment supported by a robust clinical programme.”

For more details, go to: http://www.astrazeneca.com/Media/Press-releases/Article/20140916--fda-approves-movantik-tablets