Researchers from the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Warsaw (UW) have discovered a chemical compound that has analgesic properties 5,000 times more effective than the currently available strongest painkillers.

If the successive stages of clinical tests are successful, a drug will hit the market. It will be able to relieve pain, for example of neuropathic origin or acute traumatic states.

A chemical compound with strong analgesic properties belongs to the family of peptidomimetics. It has a bifunctional character. This means that one part of the molecule acts on the opioid receptors, which results in the suppression of pain reactions, while the second part acts on the fourth receptor- melanocortyl, which is responsible for sending the pain-initiating signal.

Works on the drug are still in progress. The researchers submitted the application for patent in Poland and in selected countries of the world.