PharmNovo aims to change the lives of people suffering from chronic pain

Patients with neuropathic pain are a growing population facing increasingly challenging conditions. Finding a safe and effective way to help those patients has always been the Holy Grail to PharmNovo’s founder Bengt von Mentzer. PharmNovo’s promising drug candidate PN6047 will shortly be entering phase II proof-of-concept studies.

The large and unmet medical need of neuropathic pain patients has inspired Bengt von Mentzer, internationally acclaimed medical researcher and visionary Founder of PharmNovo, and his research for decades. He explains:

“Neuropathic pain can be so severe that some patients are not even able to wear normal clothes. But to date, there is no pain relief offered to these patients that is not associated with severe side effects. This is where we at PharmNovo aim to bring about a whole new range of treatments for the most difficult-to-treat types of chronic pain”.

Safe and effective

Despite the significant global demand for neuropathic pain relief, there is a noticeable lack of companies addressing this issue. PharmNovo stands out as a company poised to make a substantial impact in this field with its ground-breaking substance, PN6047.

“PN6047 is a unique substance, based on research by Bengt von Mentzer and his colleague Ingemar Starke. It does not affect the receptors usually known to cause addiction to conventional opioids and it lacks the usual side effects associated with other opioids. In phase I clinical studies that we have performed to date in Uppsala, PN6047 is shown to be safe, well tolerated and free from unwanted effects” says Bengt von Mentzer.

“We have in preclinical studies already proved that PN6047 is very potent in relieving neuropathic pain, and at the same time, it is practically free of side effects. We have almost completed the First in Human clinical phase I study, and we will be entering phase II hopefully in Q2 2024. If all goes according to plan, we may well be able to present the market with an approved pharmaceutical treatment in six to seven years,” says Per von Mentzer, CEO of PharmNovo.

Essential experience and connections

Per von Mentzer took on the role of CEO at PharmNovo after some time of developing smaller companies and bringing them closer to the market. He previously held several senior positions in various large to medium-sized industrial companies. He still has access to a wide network of international business associates.

“I contribute with leadership, strategic decision-making, industry insights, and partnership opportunities to drive the success of PharmNovo. With this foundation, we can navigate the complex landscape, seize market opportunities, and make a lasting impact."

Together with David Kendall, well-known researcher and former professor of Pharmacology at Nottingham University, UK, now CSO at PharmNovo, Per and Bengt von Mentzer aim to truly change the world into a more pain-free one, where a higher quality of life is dedicated to patients with neuropathic pain of various sorts and other difficult to treat chronic pain conditions.