It’s that 27.5% of people globally are affected by pain. While they might be effective, existing analgesics each have their issues.
Acetaminophen/paracetamol (Tylenol, Panadol) can be , and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs (aspirin, ibuprofen, and others) can and cause . Meanwhile, opioids are notoriously addictive and responsible for a high number of deaths . Then, there are conditions for which treatment with traditional analgesics can be ineffective.
, or neuropathy, is one example; is another. Determined to uncover a new analgesic with the potential to treat these hard-to-treat conditions and avoid the health risks associated with classic analgesics, researchers at South Rampart Pharma developed SRP-001. The drug has been tested in a Phase 1 clinical trial, yielding very promising results.
“The quest for innovative pain solutions is critical, driven by the extensive prevalence of acute, chronic, and neuropathic pain,” said Hernan Bazan, South Rampart’s co-founder and CEO and the study’s lead and corresponding author. “Existing treatments such as opioids, acetaminophen, and NSAIDs pose risks of addiction and toxicity with overuse.” Before conducting human trials, the researchers examined SRP-001’s effect on animals.
When acetaminophen is broken down in the body, it causes the brain’s pain region to produce AM404, which makes brain cells retain the naturally occurring pain-reducing cannabinoid anandamide. In mice, SRP-001 caused the brain to.
