The World Health Organization reports that more than 600 million people suffer from lower back pain globally, making it the leading cause of disability worldwide. 

Chronic lower back pain – where the pain persists for more than 3 months – develops in between 5 and 10% of all lower back pain cases, with life-altering impacts for patients.

And that’s where today’s guest, Steve Ruston, of Persica Pharmaceuticals comes in. Persica is developing a groundbreaking and transformative treatment for chronic Low Back Pain. Persica is targeting the cause of chronic lower back pain: the underlying bacterial infection. Unlike conventional approaches that manage symptoms, Persica’s drug enables the infection to clear, reducing inflammation, pain and disability at the source.

1:20     Introducing Steve Ruston of Persica Pharmaceuticals

3:53     Lessons learnt from developing blockbuster drugs

6:35     Global experiences in the biopharma industry

8:32     Persica Pharmaceuticals and its mission

10:26   Collaborations with a network of partners

11:48   A non-opioid approach to addressing lower back pain

13:35   Treating the cause, not the symptoms

15:05   How Persica’s treatment work

18:59   Practical impacts of Persica’s treatment

21:07   Identifying patients for cLBP treatment

23:24   How Persica is changing the treatment landscape

28:10   Regulatory hurdles to overcome

34:37   Securing funding for Persica’s innovation

36:16   The future of treating pain

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To dive deeper into the topic: 

• New non-opioid pain medication: How is the biotech industry fighting pain after the opioid crisis?
• Developing non-opioid pain drugs
• Redefining chronic pain treatment