Drug trials for rare facial nerve condition Convergence Pharmaceuticals, which spun out of Glaxo 18 months ago after the pharmaceutical giant ceased researching pain drugs, has started a Phase II study of a possible treatment for pain associated with Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). A condition that is often caused by pressure on the trigeminal nerve, which is inside the skull, it results in sudden, severe facial pain and can be provoked by the slightest touch. Activities such as eating can therefore be agonising.Around 10,000 people in the UK are thought to suffer from the condition. Simon Tate, chief scientific officer at Convergence, said: "We think we're targeting the mechanism by which pain is transmitted in this disease." He added that the potential size of the market could be in the "order of hundreds of millions of dollars." Convergence will test the drug on around 50 patients in six countries, and the first results are expected in the middle of next year. The company's potential treatment, which has been developed from an asset initially held by Glaxo, works by blocking "sodium channels" that allow pain signals to pass through the body. Clive Dix, Convergence chief executive, said that TN had "orphan status," which is granted by regulators to products which treat rare diseases. He said Convergence would consider partnering, pointing out that the company has received interest from large drug makers. Convergence has raised around $35.4m (£22.4m) and Glaxo has an 18pc minority stake in the company.