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NATURE TO THE RESCUE - AGAINThe deadly sea snail venom that will take away your pain By Nigel Hawkes, Health Editor Times Online A NEW painkiller based on the venom of a sea snail will be available in Britain from today. Prialt, or ziconotide, is the result of more than 20 years’ research by a scientist born in the Philippines, Baldomera Olivera, who is a professor at the University of Utah. It is 1,000 times more potent than morphine but, unlike that drug, is not addictive. It is aimed at people suffering from severe, chronic pain who would normally...

The active agent Ziconotide, the synthetic toxin of the cone snail (Conus magus), was acclaimed a safe alternative to morphine when it was introduced six years ago. Now it is increasingly suspected of causing patients to commit suicide. German researchers working under the auspices of Prof. Christoph Maier at the Ruhr University presume that Ziconotide not only suppresses the transmission of pain stimuli, but also deteriorates the frame of mind and could simultaneously reduce anxiety and impulse control. These mechanisms could promote suicidal tendencies in vulnerable patients.

Filed at 4:45 p.m. ETWASHINGTON (AP) -- The government approved a drug Tuesday that offers a new way of fighting severe pain -- an option for patients who no longer benefit from morphine and other traditional pain medications.It's the first in a new class of drugs that selectively blocks the nerve channels responsible for transmitting pain signals. It will be marketed as Prialt and should be available by the end of January.``When you've taken all the kinds of pain medication that there is and you still have pain, that is a very frightening situation,'' said Dr. Lars Ekman, president of...