An experimental painkiller could be the key to solving the opioid epidemic
An experimental drug developed by researchers at Duke University could be a key component in solving the nation's opioid epidemic.
Known as 'SBI-810,' the drug avoids the 'high' that is tied to addiction to the pain-relieving drugs.
The need for such a breakthrough is great, even as U.S. overdose deaths decline. Recent data showed they fell by 30,000 last year, but more than 80,000 people still died from the drugs. Drug overdose deaths have been increasing in the U.S. since the 1990s, mostly due to the use of opioids.
'What makes this compound exciting is that it is both analgesic and non-opioid,' Dr. Ru-Rong Ji, an anesthesiology and neurobiology researcher who directs the Duke Anesthesiology Center for Translational Pain Medicine, said in a statement. Well-known drugs like Advil and Tylenol are analgesic drugs, which are also known as painkillers.
Ji was the senior author of the related Department of Defense- and National Institutes of Health-funded research, which was published on Monday in the journal Cell.
Duke said the drug has undergone trials in mice, working well on its own. When used in combination with opioids, it made them more effective at lower doses, the authors said.
Opioids increase levels of dopamine in the brain, which is often referred to as the 'happy hormone.' In turn, that dopamine and opioids work together to generate the high. But, over time, the body needs higher doses to feel the same effect.
Like opioids, SBI-810 works on the nervous system to relieve pain. The experimental compound is designed to target a receptor – the brain receptor neurotensin receptor 1 – found on the spinal cord and nerve cells that function to transmit information to the central nervous system.
The difference between opioids and SBI-810 is that Duke's drug takes a more focused approach than opioids. Instead of flooding multiple cellular pathways at the same time, the researcher noted, it activates only one specific pain-relief pathway that avoids that euphoric high.
Furthermore, the researchers say it can prevent the common side effects that often force patients to need stronger and more frequent doses of opioids, including constipation and tolerance.
It also outperformed the nerve pain drug gabapentin, and didn't cause sedation or memory problems often reported with that drug. Gabapentin is the seventh most commonly prescribed medication nationally.
The authors have compared SBI-810 to oliceridine, a newer type of opioid used in hospitals. However, they found that SBI-810 worked better in some situations.
It also effectively relieved pain from surgical incisions, bone fractures, and nerve injuries better than some existing painkillers, reducing signs of discomfort on a mouse's face.
They hope to do human trials soon and have locked in multiple patients.
Although the drug is still in early development, the authors said it could be a safer option for treating both short-term and chronic pain for those recovering from surgery or living with diabetic nerve pain. More than a third of Americans are living with chronic pain.
'The receptor is expressed on sensory neurons and the brain and spinal cord,' Ji added. 'It's a promising target for treating acute and chronic pain.'
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