This is rather promising. The next question is whether it can avoid
been also tolerated like morphine and lose its ability. So far so
good. It is certainly needed. Most of us have the good sense to
stay away from pain killers until they are desperately necessary.
The problem of course has been that our best tool happens to be
opiates.
This a new avenue and a highly effective one at that.
Let us hope that it turns out to be non addictive and constant in its
capability.
Brazilian
researchers develop new anti-inflammatory for severe pain
The main breakthrough
of the research is the successful synthesizing of a protein produced
by the human
By Antonio
Pasolini
11:56 July 3, 2012
Researchers at
Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil, have developed a powerful
new anti-inflammatory to relieve hard-to-control pain. Initial tests
have confirmed the efficacy of the medication, which is based on a
protein found in the blood.
The main breakthrough
of the research is the successful synthesizing of a protein produced
by the human body, the calcium binding S100A9. Under certain
conditions, this protein is used by our bodies to keep pain under
control. To make the medication, the scientists discovered that only
a small part of the protein is required, which leads to reduced
production costs.
According to
researcher Renata Giorgi, the discovery represents an important step
forward in relation to drugs available in Brazil. In particular the
new drug offers two important advantages: it is more powerful and it
can be administered orally.
“We’ve discovered
that some white blood cells contain a protein that can inhibit pain
that stem from an inflammation. By synthesizing a small piece of that
protein, we managed to make its dispensation viable,” said Giorgi.
She added that the treatment of chronic pain in cases such as nerve
lesions is difficult because drugs like morphine lose their efficacy
with time.
The drug may not
become available for several years and the next stage in the ongoing
research is to test for toxicity. In the case of analgesics
(painkillers), testing the patient’s level of tolerance is critical
as the dosage of such drugs may have to be increased if the patient
develops resistance to them.
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