{"id":19910,"date":"2025-10-04T17:24:06","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T16:24:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/?p=19910"},"modified":"2025-10-21T20:59:03","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T19:59:03","slug":"the-end-of-opioids-new-drug-could-change-the-way-we-treat-severe-pain-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/10\/the-end-of-opioids-new-drug-could-change-the-way-we-treat-severe-pain-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The End of Opioids? New Drug Could Change the Way We Treat Severe Pain"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"the-post-header s-head-modern s-head-modern-a\">\n<div class=\"post-meta post-meta-a post-meta-left post-meta-single has-below\">\n<div class=\"post-meta-items meta-below\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><span class=\"meta-item post-author\"><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> Kyoto University &#8211; <\/span><span class=\"meta-item has-next-icon date\"><time class=\"post-date\" datetime=\"2025-08-28T20:37:13-07:00\">August 28, 2025<\/time><\/span><i class=\"tsi tsi-share\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"single-featured\" style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/10\/the-end-of-opioids-new-drug-could-change-the-way-we-treat-severe-pain-2\/hollow-man\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19921\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-19921\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hollow-man.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"982\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hollow-man.jpg 982w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hollow-man-640x428.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/hollow-man-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 982px) 100vw, 982px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"the-post s-post-modern\">\n<article id=\"post-491041\" class=\"post-491041 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail category-health tag-drugs tag-kyoto-university tag-opioids tag-pain-management tag-pain-medication mv-content-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"post-content-wrap has-share-float\">\n<div class=\"post-content cf entry-content content-spacious\" data-content-ads-inserted=\"true\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_475391\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-475391\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-475391\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">A new non-opioid pain reliever developed in Japan shows early success in clinical trials, offering hope for safer pain management. If effective, it could help curb the opioid crisis by providing a powerful alternative. Credit: Stock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-slot-rendered-content=\"true\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The discovery of a new painkiller offers relief with fewer side effects.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"mv-ad-box\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-slotid=\"content_btf\">\n<div class=\"mv-rail-frame-250\" data-slotid=\"content_btf\">\n<div class=\"mv-rail-slide-250\" data-slotid=\"content_btf\">\n<div class=\"mv-rail-sticky-250\" data-slotid=\"content_btf\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Morphine and other opioids are commonly used in medicine because of their strong ability to relieve pain. Yet, they also pose significant risks, including respiratory depression and drug dependence. To limit these dangers, Japan enforces strict rules that allow only specially authorized physicians to prescribe such medications.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">In contrast, the United States saw widespread prescribing of the opioid OxyContin, which fueled a rise in the misuse of synthetic opioids like\u00a0<span class=\"glossaryLink\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"link\" aria-describedby=\"tt\" data-cmtooltip=\"&lt;div class=glossaryItemTitle&gt;fentanyl&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=glossaryItemBody&gt;Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is used to treat severe pain, such as pain from cancer or surgery, and is typically administered via injection or transdermal patch. Fentanyl can also be used recreationally, and its use has been linked to a significant increase in opioid overdose deaths in recent years. Due to its high potency, fentanyl can be dangerous even in small doses, and its use should be closely monitored by a healthcare provider.&lt;\/div&gt;\" data-gt-translate-attributes=\"[{&quot;attribute&quot;:&quot;data-cmtooltip&quot;, &quot;format&quot;:&quot;html&quot;}]\">fentanyl<\/span>. By 2023, deaths from opioid overdoses had exceeded 80,000, marking the escalation of a nationwide public health emergency now known as the \u201copioid crisis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">A new analgesic approach<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Opioids may soon face competition. Researchers at\u00a0Kyoto University\u00a0have identified a new analgesic, named\u00a0<em>ADRIANA<\/em>, that provides pain relief through a completely different biological pathway. The drug is now moving through clinical development as part of an international research collaboration.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cIf successfully commercialized, ADRIANA would offer a new pain management option that does not rely on opioids, contributing significantly to the reduction of opioid use in clinical settings,\u201d says corresponding author Masatoshi Hagiwara, a specially-appointed professor at Kyoto University.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Targeting adrenoceptors for safer pain relief<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">The researchers drew their initial inspiration from compounds that imitate noradrenaline, a chemical released during life-threatening situations that activates \u03b12A-adrenoceptors to reduce pain. While effective, these compounds carry a high risk of destabilizing cardiovascular function. By examining the relationship between noradrenaline levels and \u03b12B-adrenoceptors, the team proposed that selectively blocking \u03b12B-adrenoceptors could increase noradrenaline activity, stimulate \u03b12A-adrenoceptors, and provide pain relief without triggering cardiovascular instability.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_491043\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-491043\" data-slot-rendered-content=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/2025\/10\/the-end-of-opioids-new-drug-could-change-the-way-we-treat-severe-pain-2\/mech-of-pain-relief\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-19922\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-19922\" src=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mech-of-pain-relief.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"996\" height=\"401\" srcset=\"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mech-of-pain-relief.jpg 996w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mech-of-pain-relief-640x258.jpg 640w, https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Mech-of-pain-relief-768x309.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 996px) 100vw, 996px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-491043\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><\/figcaption><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">To test this idea, the scientists used a specialized method called the TGF\u03b1 shedding assay, which allowed them to measure the function of different \u03b12-adrenoceptor subtypes. Through compound screening, they succeeded in identifying the world\u2019s first selective \u03b12B-adrenoceptor antagonist.<\/span><\/figure>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Promising clinical results and future trials<\/span><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">After success in administering the compound to mice and conducting non-clinical studies to assess its safety, physician-led clinical trials were conducted at Kyoto University Hospital. Both the Phase I trial in healthy volunteers and the Phase II trial in patients with postoperative pain following lung cancer surgery yielded highly promising results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">Building on these outcomes, preparations are now underway for a large-scale Phase II clinical trial in the United States, in collaboration with BTB Therapeutics, Inc, a Kyoto University-originated venture company.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">As Japan\u2019s first non-opioid analgesic, ADRIANA has the potential not only to relieve severe pain for patients worldwide but could also play a meaningful role in addressing the opioid crisis \u2014 a pressing social issue in the United States \u2014 and thus contribute to international public health efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: #0000ff;\">\u201cWe aim to evaluate the analgesic effects of ADRIANA across various types of pain and ultimately make this treatment accessible to a broader population of patients suffering from chronic pain,\u201d says Hagiwara.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-slot-rendered-content=\"true\"><em><strong><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; color: #0000ff;\">Source: https:\/\/scitechdaily.com\/the-end-of-opioids-new-drug-could-change-the-way-we-treat-severe-pain\/<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Kyoto University &#8211; August 28, 2025 A new non-opioid pain reliever developed in Japan shows early success in clinical trials, offering hope for safer pain management. If effective, it could help curb the opioid crisis by providing a powerful alternative. Credit: Stock The discovery of a new painkiller offers relief with fewer side effects. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73,135,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19910","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-addiction","category-opioids","category-others"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19910","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19910"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19924,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19910\/revisions\/19924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drugprevent.org.uk\/ppp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}