Commonly used in hospitals (oral or intravenous), the morphine is synthesized from a plant: the poppy. Ultra-effective against acute and / or chronic pain, this powerful analgesic drug is classified level 3 according to the classification of the World Health Organization which has … 3 levels.
Problem: if morphine is extremely effective (in anti-cancer treatments, for example), it can also cause many side effects: motor disorders, respiratory distress, hypotension, nausea, constipation … And, of course, an addiction accompanied by a withdrawal syndrome (manifested by insomnia, bone pain, myalgia, tachycardia …).
It could be available in two years
To avoid these unwanted and debilitating side effects, researchers at Tulane University (USA) are working on a new drug that is guaranteed to be safe, in collaboration with the Southeast Veterans Care Center of Louisiana. Their work has been published in the scientific journal Neuropharmacology.
The new drug in question is a peptide (that is to say a chemical element composed of several amino acids) that targets the same brain opioid receptor as morphine: it would therefore have the same action analgesic that this one, would be classified in the same pharmaceutical family … the side effects less.
“For a peptide to deliver such a level of relief with so few side effects is unprecedented,” says Prof. James Zadina, lead author of this study. Good news: it could see the light of day within two years, according to the researchers.
Read: Can snake venom replace morphine?
