Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
A New Way to Treat Pain
967 A New Way to Treat Pain
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel
So, Norbert has heard my complaints over the years – that I live with chronic pain.
More than fifty million Americans are with you, Dave.
It’s tough. I use over-the-counter drugs such as ibuprofen. Steroids help too, but the pain returns.
Common pain treatments just haven’t changed much. Over-the-counter brands block an enzyme called COX, which produces the chemicals behind swelling and pain.
Opioids like Oxycontin are prescribed for severe pain, but they are highly addictive. The chemicals bind to receptors in the brain and spine to block the body’s pain signals.
Some drugs block pain locally. Dentists use Novocain to numb your gums, and lidocaine numbs tissues wherever it’s applied on the skin. Both drugs work by blocking sodium ion channels in the cells and tissues, which then interrupts the pain signals sent to the brain.
Now, after years of testing drugs on these sodium ion channels, a new class of pain drugs has been approved. Suzetrigine targets the sodium channel Nav1.7, which initiates pain signals in our nerve cells.
The drug was tested in two clinical trials on patients with acute pain: one recovering from tummy tucks and the other from bunion removal.
Patients were divided into groups that received opioids, Suzetrigine, or a placebo. The results showed that the new drug was as effective as the opioids but, unlike opioids, is not addictive
For now, it’s only approved for acute pain, but there’s a push to get it approved for chronic pain. For me and millions of others, it would be a tremendous relief.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or listen to our podcast on your favorite podcast service.
