At last! Pill is found to relieve the agony of lower back pain

A DRUG taken every two months could ease the agony of lower back pain for millions of people.

The treatment called tanezumab, which inhibits nerve activity, has been found to aid one of the leading causes of disability worldwide.

Scientists say it could bring long-term relief to a third of those in agony every day.

Lead researcher Dr John Markman, of the University of Rochester, New York state, said: “This demonstration of efficacy is a major breakthrough in the global search to develop non-opioid treatments for chronic pain.

“There were also improvements in function linked to the reduction in pain severity.”

Tested

Researchers found certain proteins in the bloodstream heighten the sensitivity of cells in the nervous system to pain.

One of these proteins, called nerve growth factor (NGF), could explain why some people experience more intense pain than others.

Tanezumab, an antibody copied by scientists which is delivered under the skin, is known to inhibit nerve activity and NGF.

The team tested their new therapy on back pain patients at nearly 200 sites across eight countries in North America, Europe and Asia.

Those patients who were considered to be “difficult-to-treat” were