A team of researchers from Kyoto University has developed a promising new painkiller that could provide strong pain relief without the dangerous side effects linked to opioids like morphine.
Opioids are widely used in medicine because of their powerful ability to relieve pain.
However, they also carry serious risks, including breathing problems, dependence, and addiction.
In Japan, strict rules limit their prescription to authorized doctors.
In the United States, the over-prescription of opioids such as OxyContin led to a surge in misuse of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, causing over 80,000 overdose deaths in 2023.
This has become a major public health crisis, now known as the “opioid crisis.”
The new drug, called ADRIANA, works in a completely different way from opioids. It is currently in clinical development through an international collaboration, with the aim of offering a safer alternative for pain management.
The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, builds on the body’s natural pain-suppression system.
In life-threatening situations, the body releases noradrenaline, which activates specific receptors (α2A-adrenoceptors) to reduce pain. Drugs that mimic noradrenaline can relieve pain, but they also carry a high risk of causing dangerous heart and blood pressure problems.
The Kyoto team explored a different approach. They focused on another receptor, the α2B-adrenoceptor, and hypothesized that blocking it could naturally raise noradrenaline levels. This, in turn, would activate the pain-relieving α2A-adrenoceptors without causing the heart-related side effects.
To find the right compound, the researchers used an innovative screening method called the TGFα shedding assay, which allowed them to identify the world’s first selective α2B-adrenoceptor blocker.
After successful tests in mice and non-clinical safety studies, ADRIANA moved into human trials at Kyoto University Hospital.
A Phase I trial in healthy volunteers and a Phase II trial in patients recovering from lung cancer surgery both produced encouraging results, showing the drug’s potential to relieve pain effectively and safely.
Following these promising findings, the team is now preparing for a large-scale Phase II clinical trial in the United States, in partnership with BTB Therapeutics, Inc., a venture company originating from Kyoto University.
If successful, ADRIANA would be Japan’s first non-opioid painkiller and could help reduce opioid use worldwide. Beyond helping patients with severe pain, it may also play an important role in tackling the opioid crisis, especially in countries like the U.S.
“We aim to test ADRIANA on different types of pain and eventually make it available to many people living with chronic pain,” said Professor Masatoshi Hagiwara, who is leading the research.
If you care about pain, please read studies about vitamin K deficiency linked to hip fractures in old people, and these vitamins could help reduce bone fracture risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that Krill oil could improve muscle health in older people, and eating yogurt linked to lower frailty in older people.
Source: Kyoto University.
