With new drug, dentist can de-numb your gums

Last update: May 11, 2008 - 8:21 PM

For those who don't like to drool, slur their speech or unknowingly bite their tongue after a visit to the dentist, help might be at hand.

A small drug company said it won approval Friday from the Food and Drug Administration to market the first drug meant to undo the effects of local dental anesthesia.

In clinical trials, the drug cut the time it took for full sensation to return to the lips by 75 to 85 minutes, or by more than half.

The drug, called OraVerse, was developed by Novalar Pharmaceuticals, a privately held company in San Diego. The company said it would begin selling the drug to dentists late this year for $12.50 an injection.

Is a drug really needed for what seems like a trivial use? Novalar and some dentists who advise the company said it might be useful for children, who can injure themselves by biting their lip or tongue. The drug, however, is not approved for children younger than 6 or weighing less than 33 pounds.

Dr. Athena Papas, a professor at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine and an adviser to Novalar, said she thought the drug would appeal especially to those receiving cosmetic dentistry "who like to look good when they leave the dentist's office."

With about 300 million anesthesia injections given by dentists each year, company executives say the drug could easily achieve sales of hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

NEW YORK TIMES

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