One in five Europeans suffers from neuropathic pain. A research team from the Institute of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS) in Krakow is working on the development of effective therapies.

Anna Piotrowska-Murzyn from the PAN research team focuses on research on the neuroimmunological basis of pain. She is also looking for substances that will enhance their effectiveness when administered with conventional painkillers. This PhD student from the Polish Academy of Sciences has already identified the searched substance. This may be Maraviroc, an anti-retroviral drug used in HIV-infected patients.

The compound may affect the effectiveness of conventionally used analgesics. Thus, it seems that Marawiroc may turn out to be an interesting approach to the combination therapy with opioids in patients suffering from neuropathic pain – said Anna Piotrowska-Murzyn.