Humanity has sought to combat pain since ancient times. Opium, the painkiller often referred to as a panacea, was widely used in ancient Greece and Rome, as well as in the Mediterranean region. The problem was its addictive nature. Around 1990, opioids were approved for use as painkillers with minimal side effects. Opioids are derived from compounds extracted from the poppy plant. In modern times, opioids have become an indispensable painkiller in medicine. They are highly effective for relieving pain from wounds, as well as pain during and after surgery. However, there are also troubling developments. Opioids are creating a large number of addicts. During his first term, President Trump even declared a “public health emergency” in response to opioid abuse.
While cracking down on drug offenders is necessary to address the issue of drug addiction, developing non-addictive painkillers is also a promising solution. Kyoto University Professor Masatoshi Hagiwara and BTB Therapeutics, a startup spun off from Kyoto University, have begun clinical trials in the United States for a less addictive painkiller candidate. Clinical trials for this less addictive painkiller candidate will begin in the United States as early as 2026. Kyoto University and BTB have developed this less addictive painkiller, named “Adriana.” Adriana is expected to serve as an alternative to opioids. In mouse experiments, it demonstrated pain-relieving effects comparable to narcotic painkillers. Safety was also confirmed in another clinical trial conducted by Kyoto University through 2024.
Humanity has long desired a life free of pain. We are simultaneously working to realize a world free of both pain and addiction. Currently, drug development and treatment methods targeting addiction reduction are being developed. Amid this, the beautiful cone snail is attracting attention. The poison in this shellfish is a type of neurotoxin called conotoxin, which is made up of multiple toxins. Experiments using rats have shown that conotoxin’s analgesic effect is 10,000 times stronger than morphine. Conotoxin paralyzes pain-sensing nerves, providing an analgesic effect superior to that of morphine. Conotoxin’s notable properties include its lack of addictive properties, unlike opium, and its resistance to tolerance. In the United States, this drug is already being used to relieve pain in advanced cancers and herpes. If we could develop non-addictive painkillers and eliminate highly addictive narcotic painkillers, society would be better off in terms of both medical care and public safety.
