Cara Therapeutics was formed in order to take advantage of new opportunities to develop safer, more effective analgesics. Pain is the most prevalent medical condition, but is frequently under-treated due to limited efficacy or harmful side effects of currently available products, such as centrally acting opiates and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). In order to address this need, Cara plans to develop specific classes of peripherally selective  analgesics. These compounds are targeted to multiple types of pain relieving receptors present in different parts of the body outside the brain, avoiding or minimizing brain receptor activation. In addition, Cara aims to develop a future pipeline of first-in-class molecules at novel analgesic and anti-inflammatory targets using its proprietary drug screening technology. These molecules are designed to provide maximum pain relief with limited side effects.