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A study has shown that unlike opioids like morphine, the experimental painkiller does not cause tolerance, meaning you don’t have to ramp up doses to gain the same effect.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC), approx. 82,000 people died from opioid overdoses in the U.S. in 2022.
According to National Institute of Drug Abuse, opioids are a class of natural, semi-synthetic, and synthetic drugs.
They are addictive, and repeated use can cause brain changes that motivate users to continue using them.
Opioids can also lead to dependence, meaning a persons body cannot function normally without taking the drugs.
An estimated two million people in the U.S. is suffering from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) according to MedlinePlus, meaning alternative painkillers are needed in order to reduce the opioid epidemic.
And an experimental painkiller might be just that.
Powerful without the danger
An experimental drug developed at Duke University School of Medicine could offer powerful painrelief without the dangerous side effects of opioids, a study shows.
The drug is called SBI-810 and is designed to target a receptor on the nerves and spinal cord, meaning it takes a more focused approached compared to opioids, which flood multiple cellular pathways.
Some of the most exiting results of the study done in mice showed that the drug prevented common side effects like buildup to tolerance and constipation.
“What makes this compound exciting is that it is both analgesic and non-opioid,” said senior study author Ru-Rong Ji, PhD, an anesthesiology and neurobiology researcher who directs the Duke Anesthesiology Center for Translational Pain Medicine.
The drug is still in early development, but the researchers at Duke are aiming for human trials being started soon.
Sources: Duke University School of Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Preventions, National Institute of Drug Abuse
