(Yicai Global) July 7 -- A painkiller developed by US biopharmaceutical company Treneva, that boasts a stronger analgesic effect and fewer adverse reactions than morphine, has entered phase three clinical trials in China, bringing it closer to entering the Chinese market, Trevena’s Chinese partner said today.

Tests have begun on the first volunteer in final-stage trials at the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Changsha, central Hunan province, Jiangsu Nhwa Pharmaceutical said.

TRV-130, which was approved by the US’ Food and Drug Administration in August last year, is used to treat moderate to severe acute pain in adult patients. Administered intravenously, it can relieve pain within two to five minutes and the analgesic effect lasts for up to three hours, Nhwa Pharma said.

Nhwa Pharma has the exclusive distribution license for TRV-130 in China. The Xuzhou, eastern Jiangsu province-based firm made a down payment of USD2.5 million to Pennsylvania-based Trevena in 2018. Once the drug reaches the market in both the US and China it will make a milestone payment of at most USD6 million, according to the contract.

Nhwa Pharma’s share price [SHE:002262] closed up 1.26 percent today at CNY15.21 (USD2.35), giving it a market capitalization of CNY15.3 billion (USD2.4 billion).

Editor: Kim Taylor