Scientists claim that the new anesthetic is more effective than morphine

Scientists say, they have developed an alternative to morphine, which does not cause breathing problems. A respiratory arrest is one of the main causes of death with an overdose of morphine, The Australian says. Plus, the alternative is not addictive.

The new anesthetic is called PZM21. The scientists have created it by means of computer analysis of 3 million commercially available molecules and possible chemical reactions. Animal experiments have shown that the compound reduced the pain with the same force as morphine. But the effect was longer and there was no interference in the respiration process. The new anesthetic had no effect on digestion and caused fewer side effects.

This could be a real help for the world pain epidemics that hurts a great number of people around the world. Searching for the active compound, the scientists were interested in a compound which would include a receptor - a protein on the cell surface. Moreover, this receptor ought to ease the pain, but not inhibit breathing. Experiments with mice have shown that the compound do not provoke hyperactivity and addiction.

 Source: МЕDdaily