Evaluation of VBP15 a dissociative steroidal analogue on pain and inflammation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The treatment of pain in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is challenging for both patients and providers and is associated with significant disparities in healt care delivery. While the role of ongoing inflammation during vasooclusive crisis and pain is recognized, effective therapeutic interventions are lacking. Glucocorticoids, with their anti-inflammatory properties, in small clinical trials have been shown to reduce the duration of analgesic therapy in children with pain crisis, and in SCD patients admitted with acute chest syndrome, a course of dexamethasone decreased hospitalization time. However, clinicians hesitate to prescribe steroids to treat steroid-responsive conditions in SCD patients because their use is associated with complications that include increased risk of hospital readmission, rebound pain, strokes, avascular necrosis, and acute chest syndrome. Further, some steroid-responsive conditions such as asthma have a high incidence in SCD; however, because of