US 5,633,259 A · Method for identification of low/non-addictive opioid analgesics and the use of said analgesics for treatment of opioid addiction

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of using a bioassay consisting of an electrophysiological method and a cell culture system of dorsal-root ganglion (DRG) neurons to screen and identify opioids with a high potential for use as "low- or non-addictive" analgesics. Another aspect of the invention relates to a specific group of opioid alkaloids and analogues thereof identified by the bioassay of the invention for the unique ability to activate only inhibitory, but not excitatory, opioid receptor function, for use as low- or non-addictive analgesics. Another aspect of the invention relates to the specific use of etorphine or dihydroetorphine of the opioid alkaloid family as low- or non-addictive analgesics and for the treatment of opioid addiction.

Claims6

Dependent claims

A method of treating opioid addiction which comprises administering sublingually, intramuscularly or intravenously an effective amount of a non-addictive opioid analgesic selected from the group consisting of etorphine and dihydroetorphine, to a patient for a first time sufficient for immediate relief or suppression of withdrawal symptoms due to said opioid addiction;

administering an effective amount of an replacement opioid for a second time sufficient to maintain said relief or said suppression;
followed by administering decreasing amounts of said non-addictive opioid analgesic for a third time sufficient to wean said patient from said analgesic.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

08/387,679Filed 13 Feb 1995 · continuation

Priority

21 Sep 1992

Granted

27 May 1997

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G01N 33/9486
Involving narcotics or drugs or pharmaceuticals, neurotransmitters or associated receptors: analgesics, e.g. opiates, aspirine
A61K 31/00
Medicinal preparations containing organic active ingredients
A61K 31/485
Quinolines; Isoquinolines: morphinan derivatives, e.g. morphine, codeine
G01N 33/94
Chemical analysis of biological material, e.g. blood, urine; Testing involving biospecific ligand binding methods; Immunological testing:…

Method for identification of low/non-addictive opioid analgesics and the use of said analgesics for treatment of opioid addiction

Life of this patent

Method for identification of low/non-addictive opioid analgesics and the use of said analgesics for treatment of opioid addiction

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims6