A new experimental painkiller has shown promise in dulling or eliminating pain without the addictive qualities exhibited by today's most popular opioids. The drug also sidesteps common opioid side effects including constipation and sedation.
According to the CDC, while opioid deaths decreased significantly in the United States between 2023 and 2024, over 48,000 people are still estimated to have died from their use. Combine that with the fact that approximately one in five adults in the US report suffering from chronic pain, and the need for an opioid alternative becomes clear.
In that field of research, we've seen the development of a drug that is only activated at specific locations in the body in the presence of pain; the use of three older antibiotics to dull pain; the development of a CRISPR gene-editing technique to activate pain resistance; a look at how our diets can lower pain levels; and a range other drugs that seek to bring patients relief without the use of dangerous and addictive opioids – including one made from tarantula venom.
Now researchers at Duke University believe they've designed a drug that can join the host of other non-addictive pain management strategies in the works. Known as SBI-810, the drug works by switching on a neurological signal known as B-arrestin-2 on receptors found in the brain and spinal cord.
When these receptors were switched on by the drug in mice, the rodents expressed less pain from surgical incisions, nerve injuries, and bone fractures. This was measured by a reduction in visible reactions including facial grimacing and guarding.
Because the drug works only on the specific receptors – rather than more widely through the body, as is the case with opioids – it was able to block pain without creating a sense of euphoria, thereby eliminating the lure of abuse. The mice also didn't build up a resistance to the drug, so increasing dependency wasn't an issue. Finally, the drug didn't cause any of the side effects of opioids including constipation, memory problems, or sedation.
"Researchers said the compound’s dual action – on both the peripheral and central nervous systems – could offer a new kind of balance in pain medicine: powerful enough to work, yet specific enough to avoid harm," says a Duke University report about the research, which has been published in the journal Cell.
The researchers have secured multiple patents for their discovery and hope to move next into human trials.
