Averitas Pharma was formed in 2018 as the USA commercial subsidiary of The Grünenthal Group, a multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Germany with a presence in more than 30 countries across Europe, Latin America and the USA. For more than 70 years, Grünenthal has been a global leader in the research and development of therapeutics for pain, gout and inflammation. In 2018, Grünenthal partnered with the Averitas Health management team to develop Averitas Pharma, Inc and establish commercialization capabilities in the US. The founding of Averitas Pharma is the first step to bringing innovative treatments to patients with pain.
The first innovative product in our portfolio is Qutenza® (capsaicin) 8% patch, a non-opioid, which was acquired in late 2018. This acquisition gives Grünenthal global commercial rights to Qutenza® and provides Averitas Pharma with its first FDA-approved product for distribution. Qutenza® is currently marketed and distributed by Averitas Pharma in the US for the management of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia. To learn more about Qutenza®, please visit the product website.
Qutenza® is a patch that may provide 3 months of pain relief from a single, 1-hour treatment. Treatment may be repeated every 3 months or as needed by the return of pain, but not more often than every 3 months. The medicine in Qutenza® is prescription-strength capsaicin, which is the substance in chili peppers that gives them their heat sensation. Qutenza® is the first and only treatment of its kind to deliver prescription-strength capsaicin directly into the skin. Qutenza® is unlikely to interact with other medicines you may be taking. Like any medicine, Qutenza® may not work for everyone. The most common side effects experienced by 5% or more of patients are: redness, pain, itching, and small bumps where Qutenza® is applied, and nausea.
Averitas Pharma was created with the aim to deliver effective non-opioid pain management to patients in the US. As we begin to grow, we will strive for opportunities to openly share information with our community about our operations, and to solicit patient and physician feedback on our products and our therapeutic aims. Averitas comes from the Latin ‘veritas’ meaning ‘truth’ and so transparency is at our core. We believe that such an approach can only lead to greater efficiency and efficacy in delivering meaningful therapies to patients