Grünenthal’s proprietary NaV 1.8 inhibitor enters clinical development18.2.2026 12:17:07 EET | Grünenthal Group | Press release
Aachen, Germany, 18 February 2026 – Grünenthal announced today 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 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,” says Uli Brödl, Chief Scientific Officer, Grünenthal. “While we have seen the first medicine targeting