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Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Neurology
7
Pipeline Programs
12
Companies
17
Clinical Trials
0
Approved Products

Pipeline by Development Stage

Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 1/2
Phase 2
Phase 2/3
Phase 3
On Market
0
1
0
4
0
2
0
Early DiscoveryClinical DevelopmentMarket

Neurology is a $26.9B market dominated by a single blockbuster anticoagulant (ELIQUIS), representing a mature but consolidating therapeutic area.

$26.9B marketMature→ Stable30 products15 companies

Key Trends

  • Extreme market concentration: 68% of spending driven by one FXa inhibitor product
  • Psychiatric and migraine therapies emerging as secondary growth drivers
  • High clinical trial activity (8,279 trials) signals continued pipeline development

Career Verdict

Neurology offers solid career stability with good hiring demand, but limited upside growth—best suited for professionals seeking established market positions rather than emerging-area innovation.

AI-generated market analysis based on FDA, CMS, ClinicalTrials.gov, and hiring data

Market Leaders

#1ELIQUISStable
$18.3B
Bristol Myers Squibb·Launch15.0yr
$1.8B
#3BRILINTAStable
$692M
AstraZeneca·Peak10.2yr
#4NUPLAZIDStable
$596M
$530M
Johnson & Johnson·Peak15.6yr

Drug Class Breakdown

FXa Inhibitors (anticoagulant)
$18.3B(68%)

market-defining single product

Dopamine/Serotonin Antagonists (psychiatric)
$2.4B(9%)

stable mature class

P2Y12 Receptor Antagonists (antiplatelet)
$692M(3%)

niche but stable

5-HT2A Inverse Agonists (psychiatric)
$596M(2%)

specialty indication focus

CGRP Receptor Antagonists (migraine)
$931M(3%)

emerging growth segment

Immunomodulators (MS)
$747M(3%)

stable with LOE risk

Other mechanisms
$2.6B(10%)

diverse small products

Career Outlook

Stable

Neurology represents a mature, cash-generative market with limited growth tailwinds but strong hiring stability. The dominance of ELIQUIS creates a bifurcated career landscape: high-opportunity positions in emerging segments (CGRP antagonists, psychiatric therapeutics) and commoditized roles in anticoagulant franchises. Job availability is solid but growth expectations should be tempered relative to oncology or immunology.

Breaking In

Entry-level professionals should target clinical operations or commercial support roles at J&J, AstraZeneca, or Sanofi to build domain expertise in neurology disease states and competitive dynamics.

For Experienced Professionals

Experienced professionals should prioritize emerging mechanism roles (CGRP, tau-targeting programs) or pivot to medtech/neurotech (Stryker, Medtronic) to capture higher growth and salary potential than traditional pharma incumbents.

In-Demand Skills

Medical Science Liaisons (MSL) for specialist engagementClinical trial operations expertisePsychiatric/neurodegenerative disease educationRegulatory affairs (given patent cliff activity)Commercial strategy around branded/generic transitions

Best For

Medical Science LiaisonCommercial Brand Manager (anticoagulant/psychiatric franchises)Clinical Operations ManagerRegulatory Affairs SpecialistClinical Development Manager (CGRP/immunomodulator pipelines)

Hiring Landscape

$100K-$199K

Neurology shows moderate but distributed hiring across pharma and medtech employers, with 4,186 total jobs listed. Commercial functions lead (947 roles, $169K avg), followed by clinical operations (467 roles, $132K avg), indicating bias toward commercialization over R&D. Takeda leads external hiring (762 jobs) with strong representation in contract research and CRO spaces.

4,186
Open Roles
5
Companies Hiring
5
Departments

Top Hiring Companies

762Growing
434Stable
302Stable

By Department

Commercial(23%)
$169K
Clinical Operations(11%)
$132K
Engineering(8%)
$199K
IT(4%)
$100K
Manufacturing(3%)
$170K

Commercial and clinical operations roles dominate, offering stable mid-career positions; engineering roles command premium salaries ($199K), suggesting strong device/neurotech hiring pockets.

Competitive Landscape

12 companies ranked by most advanced pipeline stage

Helixmith
HelixmithKorea - Seoul
2 programs
2
EngensisPhase 31 trial
Long-Term Follow-Up of Patients who Received EngensisPhase 31 trial
Active Trials
NCT02427464Completed507Est. Apr 2019
NCT04055090Completed101Est. Jul 2019
MSD
MSDIreland - Ballydine
1 program
1
Comparator: A: PregabalinPhase 21 trial
Active Trials
NCT00837941Withdrawn0Est. Sep 2009
Sharp Therapeutics
Sharp TherapeuticsPA - Pittsburgh
1 program
1
Comparator: A: PregabalinPhase 2
Sandoz
SandozAustria - Kundl
1 program
1
EMA401Phase 21 trial
Active Trials
NCT03297294Terminated142Est. Mar 2019
AstraZeneca
AstraZenecaCAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom
1 program
1
MEDI7352Phase 21 trial
Active Trials
NCT03755934Terminated112Est. Jun 2023
Centrexion Therapeutics
1 program
1
Oral dose CNTX-6016 or oral dose PlaceboPhase 11 trial
Active Trials
NCT04857957Completed46Est. Aug 2023
UCB Pharma
UCB PharmaBelgium - Brussels
5 programs
SPM927/LacosamidePHASE_21 trial
SPM927/LacosamidePHASE_21 trial
LacosamidePHASE_31 trial
LacosamidePHASE_31 trial
SPM 929PHASE_31 trial
Active Trials
NCT00861042Completed69Est. Mar 2005
NCT00861445Completed119Est. Feb 2003
NCT00546351Completed621Est. Jan 2011
+2 more trials
Nevro
NevroCA - Redwood City
2 programs
10 kHz SCSN/A1 trial
Senza HF10 TherapyN/A1 trial
Active Trials
NCT05777317Active Not Recruiting143Est. Aug 2026
NCT03228420Unknown430Est. Dec 2022
Bial
BialPortugal - Coronado
2 programs
Eslicarbazepine acetatePHASE_21 trial
Eslicarbazepine acetatePHASE_31 trial
Active Trials
NCT00980746Completed557Est. Nov 2008
NCT01129960Terminated332Est. Apr 2012
WinSanTor
WinSanTorCA - San Diego
1 program
Active: WST-057 4mLPHASE_21 trial
Active Trials
NCT04786340Completed58Est. Dec 2022
Merck & Co.
Merck & Co.RAHWAY, NJ
1 program
Comparator: A: PregabalinPHASE_2
SK Life Science
SK Life ScienceNJ - Paramus
1 program
SKL11197PHASE_21 trial
Active Trials
NCT01521598Completed128Est. Jun 2013

Trial Timeline

Clinical trial activity over time

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
HelixmithLong-Term Follow-Up of Patients who Received Engensis
HelixmithEngensis
BialEslicarbazepine acetate
UCB PharmaSPM 929
UCB PharmaLacosamide
UCB PharmaLacosamide
WinSanTorActive: WST-057 4mL
AstraZenecaMEDI7352
SandozEMA401
SK Life ScienceSKL11197
MSDComparator: A: Pregabalin
BialEslicarbazepine acetate
UCB PharmaSPM927/Lacosamide
UCB PharmaSPM927/Lacosamide
Centrexion TherapeuticsOral dose CNTX-6016 or oral dose Placebo

Showing 15 of 17 trials with date data

Clinical Trials (17)

Total enrollment: 4,287 patients across 17 trials

NCT04055090HelixmithLong-Term Follow-Up of Patients who Received Engensis

Extension of Phase 3 Gene Therapy for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Feb 2019Est. completion: Jul 2019101 patients
Phase 3Completed

Phase 3 Gene Therapy for Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Apr 2016Est. completion: Apr 2019507 patients
Phase 3Completed
NCT01129960BialEslicarbazepine acetate

Eslicarbazepine Acetate as Therapy in Diabetic Neuropathic Pain

Start: Nov 2010Est. completion: Apr 2012332 patients
Phase 3Terminated

A Trial to Assess the Efficacy and Safety of 400mg/Day Lacosamide in Subjects With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Jun 2006Est. completion: Jun 2007551 patients
Phase 3Completed

A Trial to Assess the Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Lacosamide in Subjects With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Dec 2004Est. completion: Oct 2007371 patients
Phase 3Completed

Study Evaluating Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Lacosamide in Subjects With Painful Distal Diabetic Neuropathy.

Start: May 2004Est. completion: Jan 2011621 patients
Phase 3Completed
NCT04786340WinSanTorActive: WST-057 4mL

A 12-Week Study of Topical Pirenzepine or Placebo in Type 2 Diabetic Patients (T2DM) With Painful Peripheral Neuropathy

Start: Nov 2020Est. completion: Dec 202258 patients
Phase 2Completed

Efficacy and Safety of MEDI7352 in Participants With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Nov 2018Est. completion: Jun 2023112 patients
Phase 2Terminated

Safety and Efficacy of EMA401 in Patients With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN)

Start: Mar 2018Est. completion: Mar 2019142 patients
Phase 2Terminated

A Phase 2, Multicenter, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo Controlled Study for the Pain of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

Start: Jan 2012Est. completion: Jun 2013128 patients
Phase 2Completed
NCT00837941MSDComparator: A: Pregabalin

A Study of Single Dose Pain Therapy in Patients With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy (0000-115)

Start: Apr 2009Est. completion: Sep 20090
Phase 2Withdrawn
NCT00980746BialEslicarbazepine acetate

Efficacy and Safety of Eslicarbazepine Acetate as Therapy for Patients With Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Nov 2007Est. completion: Nov 2008557 patients
Phase 2Completed
NCT00861042UCB PharmaSPM927/Lacosamide

An Open-label follow-on Trial to Assess the Long-term Safety and Efficacy of Oral SPM 927 in Subjects With Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Apr 2002Est. completion: Mar 200569 patients
Phase 2Completed
NCT00861445UCB PharmaSPM927/Lacosamide

A Trial to Investigate Safety and Efficacy of SPM927 in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Jun 2001Est. completion: Feb 2003119 patients
Phase 2Completed
NCT04857957Centrexion TherapeuticsOral dose CNTX-6016 or oral dose Placebo

Safety, Tolerability & Pharmacokinetics Study of CNTX-6016 in Healthy Subjects and Subjects With PDN

Start: Apr 2021Est. completion: Aug 202346 patients
Phase 1Completed

Pain and Neurological Function Improvements With 10 kHz Spinal Cord Stimulation Treatment of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Start: Apr 2023Est. completion: Aug 2026143 patients
N/AActive Not Recruiting
NCT03228420NevroSenza HF10 Therapy

Comparison of 10 kHz SCS Combined With CMM to CMM Alone in the Treatment of Neuropathic Limb Pain

Start: Jul 2017Est. completion: Dec 2022430 patients
N/AUnknown

Related Jobs in Neurology

Phase Legend

PreclinicalLab & animal studies
Phase 1Safety & dosing
Phase 2Efficacy testing
Phase 3Large-scale trials
On MarketApproved & available

Key Insights

2 late-stage (Phase 3) programs, potential near-term approvals
12 companies competing in this space

The information on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Drug information is sourced from FDA, DailyMed, and other government databases. Adverse event data from FAERS does not establish causation. Always consult a healthcare professional for medical decisions.