Arcato Laboratories, Inc. is advancing the development of LBB-111, a non-opioid medication for the management of acute, post-surgical dental pain. Despite the current opioid crisis, opioid prescription following removal of the wisdom teeth (third molar extraction) remains a common practice among dentists, due in part to the potential for painful complications such as dry sockets. Approximately ten million patients undergo surgical tooth extraction in the U.S. each year, many of whom are adolescents and young adults with no prior exposure to opioid medications, and most at risk for opioid abuse or misuse. To meet this medical and societal need for novel, non-addictive medications to manage and treat acute dental pain, we developed LBB-111. LBB-111 is a proprietary resorbable emulsion of three anesthetic drugs that is administered, during tooth extraction, directly to the extraction socket, where it delivers sustained, post-operative pain relief for four to seven days post-surgery. The preliminary safety, stability, and pharmacological properties of LBB-111 were demonstrated in Phase I. The objectives of Phase II are to complete Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies of LBB-111, including establishing manufacturing and quality control processes (Aim 1), and in vivo toxicology studies in a beagle animal model (Aim 2). The successful completion of the Aims of this proposal will advance LBB-111 towards IND submission, and first in human studies. Future FDA approval and commercialization of LBB-111 will accelerate its implementation as part of a multi-modal care strategy in dental and oral surgery practices, which is expected to reduce, or completely eliminate, the practice of prescribing opioids for third molar extractions.
Non-opioid options to manage acute dental pain associated with wisdom tooth extraction are needed. In this project we are advancing the development of a new drug formulation that is placed in the empty tooth socket and slowly releases local anesthetic drugs for several days. Continued development and FDA approval of this new medication will help address the current opioid crisis in the U.S. by reducing the number of opioid prescriptions written for patients suffering from dry sockets or other dental pain.
