Monoclonal antibodies for chronic pain: A practical review of mechanisms and clinical applications:

ContextMonoclonal antibodies are being investigated for chronic pain to overcome the shortcomings of current treatment options.ObjectiveTo provide a practical overview of monoclonal antibodies in clinical development for use in chronic pain conditions, with a focus on mechanisms of action and relevance to specific classes.MethodsQualitative review using a systematic strategy to search for randomized controlled trials, systematic and nonsystematic (narrative) reviews, observational studies, nonclinical studies, and case reports for inclusion. Studies were identified via relevant search terms using an electronic search of MEDLINE via PubMed (1990 to June 2017) in addition to hand-searching reference lists of retrieved systematic and nonsystematic reviews.ResultsMonoclonal antibodies targeting nerve growth factor, calcitonin gene-related peptide pathways, various ion channels, tumor necrosis factor-α, and epidermal growth factor receptor are in different stages of development. Mechanisms of action are depend...