NeurogesX (NeurogesX) 3-Year Dividend Growth Rate : 0.00% (As of Dec. 2011)

NeurogesX, Inc. was incorporated in California as Advanced Analgesics, Inc. on May 28, 1998 and changed its name to NeurogesX, Inc. in September 2000. In February 2007, it reincorporated into Delaware. It is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing novel pain management therapies. It is assembling a portfolio of pain management product candidates based on known chemical entities to develop innovative new therapies that might offer substantial advantages over currently available treatment options. The Company's initial focus is on the management of chronic peripheral neuropathic pain conditions. The Company's first commercial product, Qutenza, the first prescription strength capsaicin product is a dermal delivery system designed to treat certain neuropathic pain conditions and was approved by the U.S, Food and Drug Administration, or FDA in November 2009 for the management of neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia, or PHN. It is currently preparing to commercialize Qutenza in the United States with its own sales force and that Qutenza would be commercially available in the United States in the first half of 2010. Qutenza is a non-narcotic analgesic formulated in a localized treatment patch containing an 8% concentration of synthetic capsaicin. Capsaicin is released from the patch and, with the aid of penetration enhancers, penetrates into the skin during application without significant absorption of capsaicin into the bloodstream. The users of Qutenza are unlikely to experience the common central nervous system side effects of systemically administered drugs used to treat neuropathic pain such as anti-convulsants, anti-depressants and opioids and the potential for abuse and addiction associated with some of these drugs. It is currently evaluating the nature, scope and timing of continued development of Qutenza to support the potential for label expansion in the United States. Areas of potential focus for label expansion include HIV-distal sensory neuropathy, or HIV-DSP, also known as HIV-associated neuropathy, or HIV-AN, painful diabetic neuropathy, or PDN, and potentially other neuropathic pain indications. It expects that Qutenza would compete against, and may be used in combination with, well-established products currently used both on and off-label in its target indications. The most directly competitive currently marketed products in the United States are Lidoderm, an FDA-approved 5% lidocaine topical patch for the treatment of PHN marketed by Endo Pharmaceuticals, and Lyrica, an oral anti-convulsant, marketed by Pfizer for use in the treatment of PHN. Regulation by governmental authorities in the United States and other countries is a significant factor in the development, manufacture and marketing of pharmaceuticals.