SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Researchers are closing in on a non-addictive opiod-based pain-killer with limited side effects:
[...] [An] international team [has] captured the crystal structure of the kappa opioid receptor—critical for providing pain relief—in action on the surface of human brain cells. The researchers also made another important discovery: a new opioid-based compound that, unlike current opioids, activates only the kappa opioid receptor, raising hopes that they may develop a painkiller that has no risk of addiction and, therefore, none of the devastating consequences and side effects that accompany it.
The findings were published Jan. 4 in the journal Cell.
[...] Currently, most opioids bind to several opioid receptors on the membrane of brain cells, which has its share of drawbacks. They alleviate pain but cause a range of side effects, from nausea to numbness, constipation, anxiety, severe dependency, hallucinations and even death by respiratory depression.
In this study, the computer models revealed the formulations that would create the strongest bond between the ligand and the kappa opioid receptor without affecting other receptors.
Katritch said the latest research may pave the way for a major drug breakthrough.
"We have already found the structure of the inactive kappa opioid receptor highly useful for discovering potential candidates for a new painkiller," Katritch said. "Now with the structure of the active receptor, we have a template for designing new types of pain medications that have no disruptive side effects for patients and would reduce the burden that opioid addiction has placed on society."
Journal reference: Tao Che et al. Structure of the Nanobody-Stabilized Active State of the Kappa Opioid Receptor, Cell (2018). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2017.12.011
Having known several people who got addicted to painkillers after receiving prescriptions for oxycodone or similar compounds from their doctors, this can't happen soon enough.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Friday January 05 2018, @11:16PM (11 children)
If a pill really does take away pain, how can it not become addictive?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 3, Interesting) by looorg on Friday January 05 2018, @11:45PM (2 children)
I assume it's different kinds of addiction. But indeed if there are no side effects why wouldn't I just keep popping that pill like it was PEZ? I would be "immune" to pain more or less, I'm sure that can be useful under certain circumstances -- assuming that you don't get zombie level drowsy from them or some other similar non addictive side-effect. Perhaps it's like decaf (whomever drinks it tho is completely beyond me) or non-pork-bacon (really ... it's not bacon if it ain't pork) my personal favorite is a product in the store called Wheat Milk (How do you milk wheat? I seriously want to know)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday January 06 2018, @05:30AM
That's what your old friend morphine is. One can't overdose on it (assuming one increases the dose as needed slowly, which is definitely enough). The only issue is that supply is limited by authorities. In the US they actually poison morphine to make sure this way out is closed.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday January 06 2018, @03:32PM
Other than obvious conspiracy theories most of which are probably true, is there any reason not to research painkillers with nifty side effects?
Here, take as much as you want, but much like hard drugs are diluted with baby powder or whatever crap they can get away with, this stuff is mixed with, or inherently as part of the chemical structure, is incredibly powerful anti-Viagra. Or some obscure and pain-irrelevant side structure of the organic chemistry molecule is full of sulfur containing branches that have the interesting side effect of making your pee smell like skunk spray. The kind of thing where you're terminally ill or intense back pain you won't care about smelly pee or inability to get it up, but addicts would be motivated to want to get off the drug long term.
I smoked weed one time in high school. Didn't even matter for my Army security clearance, at least back then it didn't matter, or I got waived. I got a terrible headache and didn't really feel all that great and really have no interest in smoking weed again. Maybe I'd try an edible unless the uncomfortable feeling was the THC itself. Anyway the point is my body not being weed compatible was pretty effective at preventing me from becoming a life long stoner like happens to some people. I'm just thinking out loud that a pill that made sex and orgasms impossible or maybe stinky pee would be helpful at preventing addiction yet not really hurt anyone needing the pills.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by black6host on Saturday January 06 2018, @12:22AM (3 children)
You're confusing dependency and physical addiction. I became dependent on the pain relief, that's a psychological thing. But my body became addicted, dependent in a very physical way. Enough became not enough. Efficacy diminished. You crave more, physically. And then, trying to come off of them, that causes pain in its own way.
I didn't go to the street for more. I said I'm not living my life that way, and I stopped. I deal with the pain in other ways. If one way was a non-addictive opioid I'd give it a try. Addictive, physically? No way. Not unless I get cancer or have major surgery. And then with caution.
Round about way to my point which is this: there are multiple facets to dependency.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Saturday January 06 2018, @03:05AM (2 children)
Good point, but this is what I wonder: is it the pill that is addictive, or the addict that is prone to addiction to the pill? Clearly, opioids do bring on physical addiction, and I could tell from that taste of cocaine I had in college that it was too good to tempt fate by using on a regular basis, but... how will they classify a painkiller as not-addicting? What portion of the population needs to be able to put it down, and after how long using?
I had a bad injury a few years back, then some stitches that didn't dissolve (extra fun, 'cause the non-dissolvers pull out clean and easy, but a partially dissolved stitch is like pulling out an embedded part of you...) I was getting by fine without the painkillers, so I didn't take them, but after that day in therapy when they pulled one dissolved stitch (with like 5 to go) and stopped because the pain was about a 973 on a scale of 1 to 10, I figured I'd get smart and take my painkillers to peak at the next session. Sure enough, the oxy or whatever they gave me blocked the pain, they pulled about 3 of the stitches and I didn't feel any pain, but I had broken out in heavy cold sweats, turned grey and was about to pass out from the "c-fiber" pain messages that weren't being blocked. Still, 3 stitch removing sessions were better than 6.
I'm lucky that I mostly only deal with what I would call chronic discomfort... if anybody experiences that fingernail ripping off pain on a chronic basis, man - I just can't imagine, but I can imagine how anything that could block that would be an indispensable part of life.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Informative) by black6host on Saturday January 06 2018, @03:24AM (1 child)
Chronic pain is not cool. It's hard to live with and it adds to depression, if not causes it. For me, the answer was to do nothing that stressed my back. The odds on surgery were too low to take the risk. So, I just changed my lifestyle. That helped but something as simple as washing dishes can be quite the pain.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by frojack on Saturday January 06 2018, @04:46AM
On the other hand, most people do not have chronic pain. They have incident pain, related to an injury or surgery.
People heal and get past most incident pain, usually in 3 to 4 weeks for everything except burns.
Any Opioid replacement that won't addict you in that amount if time would be a godsend.
Chronic pain should probably be addressed surgically rather than chemically. If a nerve is going to do nothing
but trigger pain forever, then shut that thing off and live with the dangers of that.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday January 06 2018, @02:18AM (3 children)
Does big pharma actually want a non-addictive painkiller though? At the moment they're making a killing legally selling opium, why would they want to switch to just-another-painkiller?
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Saturday January 06 2018, @02:54AM
Depends who you ask/examine at big pharma. I'm sure they employ legions of workers trained in politically correct policies that would steer them away from producing addictive drugs, but those workers don't really make the decisions...
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Alphatool on Saturday January 06 2018, @03:41AM
Yes, a thousand times Yes! Big Pharma isn't a monolithic entity, there are hundreds of competing companies each trying to come up with the next big thing, and a less addictive painkiller would be worth billions. Sure it would screw Purdue, but most of the industry would view that as a good thing.
Saying that Big Pharma don't want non-addictive painkillers is a bit like saying Big IT don't want a better operating system because that would undermine Windows. Sure, hurting windows makes Microsoft think twice, but it doesn't stop Apple, Google or Amazon from trying.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday January 06 2018, @03:25PM
I was bored and did some google searches
https://www.statista.com/statistics/322991/sales-of-otc-pain-relief-products-in-the-us/ [statista.com]
Seems to imply half the total OTC painkiller revenue in the USA in 2014 was Advil. Just advil. I had no idea it was that popular. Anyway insert tons of handwaving about bar graph interpretation and I'd say its not ridiculous to claim they scored $2B of revenue off non-addicting painkillers.
http://theweek.com/articles/541564/how-american-opiate-epidemic-started-by-pharmaceutical-company [theweek.com]
Seems to imply reading between the lines that the revenue for Oxy pills alone was $3B around the same time.
Its a weak claim, but the markets being similar ish in size would imply it would be no big deal to essentially transfer the entire existing addictive pain pill market into the existing OTC pain pill market.
Of course OTC aspirin tylenol advil gets taken for non-pain reasons, possibly mostly for non-pain reasons like fever reduction.
Just saying its not economically or logistically ridiculous to see something merely a couple times bigger in total sales than Advil being sold OTC at your local pharmacy.