Could a Failed Arthritis Drug Help Opioid Addicts?

In 2013, researchers were disappointed to find that a drug called LY2828360 did little for osteoarthritis pain.

Still, it showed some promise as a general pain reliever, and because it was safe for humans, researchers kept testing it. Now they may have found the drug’s key use. In a new study, researchers added a low dose of LY2828360 to morphine, a common opioid pain treatment, and gave both drugs to mice with chemotherapy-induced pain. Morphine tolerance can raise the risk for addiction; the mice receiving the drug combination did not become tolerant. Another finding: The mice that were given LY2828360 experienced milder morphine withdrawal. If the drug works the same way in humans, it could one day help fight opioid addiction.