Non-addictive analgesia

THE University of Queensland (UQ) has announced an agreement with Canadian biomedical company PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (PMI) to undertake research to develop non-addictive analgesics that could potentially be used as alternatives to addictive opioid drugs such as codeine, on the first day of codeine products being removed from the front shelves of pharmacies across Australia.

UniQuest, UQ’s commercialisation company, in the agreement with PMI is to conduct research expanding the use of its peptide disulphide linker technology in a bid to develop non-addictive analgesics.

UniQuest ceo Dr Dean Moss said UQ’s strategy was to prevent pain through a different mechanism to the available opioid receptor drugs such as morphine, codeine and fentanyl.

“The hope is that this would avoid the associated effects of euphoria, tolerance and dependence that lead to overdose,” he said.

“An alternative analgesic could help address global concerns over the addictive nature – and subsequent deaths by overdose – of existing opioid drugs.”

Moss said UQ researcher Associate Professor Peter Cabot would lead the two-year research program in collaboration with Dr Harendra (Harry) Parekh, both from UQ’s School of Pharmacy.

“It will involve the synthesis and testing of peptides for their analgesic activity in parallel with their pharmacological and pharmacokinetic evaluation in a chronic and acute setting.”

Moss said the agreement was the fourth UniQuest had signed with PMI over the past 12 months.