"Clearly there is a place for new morphine like drugs without these side effects and the University of Leicester Anaesthesia Division has been at the forefront of such preclinical research."
By University of Leicester, [RxPG] A potential new pain-killing drug developed by medical scientists at the University of Leicester and Ferrara in Italy is to be discussed at a public lecture on 20th March.
Professor David Lambert, who has been involved in the development the drug in collaboration with Dr Girolamo Calo in Ferrara Italy, believes the new drug called UFP-101 - avoids many of the side effects of morphine, currently the gold standard in pain reduction.
He said: "In a 2005 survey for the British Pain Society 975 people were questioned about pain. Twenty one percent experienced pain every day or most days equating to ~10million across the whole UK.
"Morphine produces its clinical effects by interaction with opioid receptors. In addition to acting as a pain killer this drug produces a number of unwanted side effects of importance from a clinical (e.g., depression of breathing, constipation and tolerance) and social (addiction) viewpoints.
"Clearly there is a place for new morphine like drugs without these side effects and the University of Leicester Anaesthesia Division has been at the forefront of such preclinical research."
Since appointment in 1991 as a lecturer Professor Lambert has been working on opioids and opioid receptors with particular emphasis on understanding receptor function and the design and evaluation of new drugs to target these receptors.
In collaboration with Dr Girolamo Calo his laboratory has characterised a prototype analgesic (pain killer), acting at a new opioid receptor, with a much reduced side effect profile.
In his inaugural lecture he will describe the current place of opioids in the clinic and development of UFP-101.
Professor David Lambert was the Edmund Riding Professor of the Royal College of Anaesthetists, has been awarded the Humphrey Davy medal by the same organisation and has received the Mapleson Medal from the UK Anaesthetic Research Society. He is Editor of British Journal of Anaesthesia and has published ~170 papers with a large proportion on opioids.
Feedback
For any corrections of factual information, to contact the editors or to send
any medical news or health news press releases, use
feedback form
