Non-opioid Analgesic for Severe Pain

A new intrathecal (IT) analgesic is the synthetic equivalent of a naturally occurring conopeptide found in a marine snail known as Conus magus. The analgesic has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Called Prialt (ziconotide intrathecal infusion), the analgesic is in a class of non-opioid pain relievers known as N-type calcium channel blockers. Research suggests that its mechanism of action works by targeting and blocking N-type calcium channels on nerves that ordinarily transmit pain signals. Prialt can be used long-term without needing the dosage to be increased. The analgesic was tested in three phase III clinical trials involving more than 1,200 patients, which evaluated its efficacy and safety in patients with severe chronic pain not managed by other drugs or systems. In one trial involving cancer patients, Prialt was shown to improve pain reduction by 53%.

"Taken together, the findings from the Prialt clinical trials are conclusive evidence that this therapy represents a significant treatment option for patients who do not have adequate pain relief from other therapies,” noted Mark Wallace, M.D., professor of clinical anesthesiology, University of California San Diego (CA, USA; www.ucsd.edu). "Furthermore, Prialt is not associated with the risk of addiction.”

Prialt is the product of Elan Corp. (Dublin, Ireland), which notes that it is the first new IT analgesic approved in more than two decades.





Related Links:
UC San Diego
Elan Corp.