Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) Inhibitors and Related Agents for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Comprehensive Review

Musculoskeletal pain such as osteoarthritis (OA) and low back pain (LBP) are very common and contribute to enormous burden and societal costs, despite dramatic therapeutic advances over recent decades. Novel approaches and targeted therapies are required to satisfy the urgent unmet medical need of musculoskeletal pain relief in both conditions. Nerve growth factor (NGF) inhibitors have utilized novel mechanisms different from conventional drugs, which have a variety of gastrointestinal, cardiac, or renal adverse effects. Several phase 2/3 studies have been accomplished for these drugs, such as tanezumab, fasinumab, and tyrosine receptor kinase A (TrkA) inhibitors. We searched the literature using the PubMed database and clinical trials using ClinicalTrials.gov to identify original papers, meta-analyses as well as ongoing clinical trials assessing the efficacy and safety profile of these drugs. In this narrative review, we briefly overview the disease burden of musculoskeletal pain, the role of NGF signaling and its receptors in the genesis of pain, and the mechanisms of action of inhibitors of NGF signaling and downstream pathways, and then discuss the efficacy and safety of each investigational drug in OA and LBP. Finally, we briefly review two serious adverse effects of NGF inhibitors, namely rapidly progressive OA and sympathetic system effects, and conclude with possible barriers and potential research directions to overcome these.