The opioid epidemic in the United States has affected millions of people and their families. In 2016, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) reported that more than 11.5 million people misused prescription opioids and 116 people died per day due to an opioid-related drug overdose.
The epidemic may soon take a turn for the better thanks to a research team at the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who believes it has made progress in finding a non-addictive painkiller that suppresses the addictive side effects of opioids.
A Wake Forest research team recently conducted a study on the chemical compound AT-121 using non-human primates. According to a press release, the compound has dual-therapeutic action and was able to suppress the “addictive effects of opioids and produced morphine-like analgesic effects in non-human primates.”
The study also showed that AT-121 provided the same level of pain relief as an opioid—but with an 100-times lower dosage than morphine—and stopped the addictive side effects associated with opioids.
“AT-121 treatment did not induce side effects commonly associated with opioids, such as respiratory depression, abuse potential, opioid-induced hyperalgesia, and physical dependence,” the study said. “Our results in nonhuman primates suggest that bifunctional NOP/MOP agonists with the appropriate balance of NOP and MOP agonist activity may provide a dual therapeutic action for safe and effective pain relief and treating prescription opioid abuse.”
For the full study results, click the link below.
Danielle covers Clinical Innovation & Technology as a senior news writer for TriMed Media. Previously, she worked as a news reporter in northeast Missouri and earned a journalism degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She's also a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Bears and Bulls.