Adolescent Substance Abuse Articles
Drug may offer new pain treatment option
By Staff Writer
Scientists have developed a new medication for chronic pain treatment that may be a year or two away from reaching the consumer market. Not only is this new painkiller said to have no apparent side effects, but its use might not lead to prescription medication addiction.
The painkiller was developed based on research conducted by professors from Stony Brook University in the 1990s. The team identified the presence of PN1/Nav 1.7, a sodium ion channel that is involved in the transmission of pain. They felt that blocking this channel with a drug would control pain.
When a patient receives a medication such as morphine, pain signals are still transmitted to the central nervous system, according to the professors. However, the drug also alters the brain’s perception of pain, which can impair judgment and lead to a dependence on the drug.
By targeting the sodium ion channel, the new medication would prevent all pain signals from being transmitted. In addition, there would be no side effects or addictive qualities, as the central nervous system would no longer be involved.
Currently in phase 1 clinical trials in the U.S., it is believed that the drug can have enormous potential in treating patients with cancer, arthritis, migraine headaches and other forms of pain caused by debilitating diseases.
