Phase II clinical trials are to be launched to examine how effective a new is drug in addressing the pain of patients having their wisdom teeth removed.

Array BioPharma announced that its small molecule p38 inhibitor will be tested at two clinical trial centres in the US, with 150 patients scheduled to take part in the study.

Participants will either receive the p38 inhibitor, named Arry-797, or a placebo when they undergo what dentists sometimes refer to as third molar extraction.

The firm said that the trials are to follow existing research which indicates that patients given an anti-inflammatory medication before they undergo surgery may experience a reduced level of pain.

In a statement, Array added: "The objective of the study is to assess the safety, tolerability and analgesic efficacy of Arry-797 dosed either after the operation or both before and after surgery."

According to the University of Maryland Medical Centre, wisdom teeth are usually extracted soon after they emerge as most mouths are not large enough to accommodate extra teeth.

Global healthcare solutions provider Masters can provide comparator drugs for phase II and III trials and is able to deliver controlled substances to scientists undertaking clinical research under the terms of its controlled drugs licence.