Lilly drug proven to reduce chronic lower back pain

Lilly revealed this week that its drug Cymbalta (duloxetine HC1) demonstrated the ability to reduce lower back pain during a recent study.

A total of 401 patients participated in the 12-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, which evaluated the efficacy of duloxetine 60 mg once daily on patients suffering from the ailment, as measured by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI).

Duloxetine-treated patients experienced a significantly greater improvement on the BPI average pain scale compared to placebo.

Vladimir Skljarevski, neurologist and senior medical director at Lilly Research Laboratories and lead author of the study, said: “Chronic low back pain affects a significant number of people. In fact, research suggests that the incidence of the condition may be as high as 48 per cent.”

Earlier this month, Lilly posted its latest financial results, revealing total revenue of $5,934 million (3,723 million pounds) for the period.