Breakthrough painkiller could beat opioids without addiction risks

A study shows a non-opioid pain reliever blocks pain at its source -- calming specific nerve signals that send pain messages to the brain.

- Agencies

In mice, the compound SBI-810 eased pain from surgery, bone fractures, and nerve injury without causing sedation or constipation.

The drug, called SBI-810, is part of a new generation of compounds designed to target a receptor on the nerves and spinal cord. While opioids flood multiple cellular pathways indiscriminately, SBI-810, a non-opioid treatment, takes a more focused approach, activating only a specific pain-relief pathway that avoids the euphoric "high" linked to addiction.