Opioid addiction is a devastating global challenge that requires disruptive solutions
The opioid addiction crisis is a complex problem that needs innovative solutions, including safer, more effective treatments. Based on promising early data, Tris is evaluating the potential of its investigational medication cebranopadol to treat opioid use disorder (OUD), which could help change the trajectory of the millions of lives affected by this disease.
The Global Impact of Opioid Addiction
Overuse, misuse and dependence on opioids is having a devastating impact on individuals, families and communities worldwide. Current treatment options for OUD have been insufficient to address this public health crisis, and new approaches are desperately needed. In addition to its unique potential in pain management, Tris’ investigational medication cebranopadol has demonstrated potential to safely and effectively treat OUD.
Opioid Misuse and The Addiction Crisis
Percentage of opioid misuse associated with prescription opioids.2 Prescription opioid misuse can lead to misuse of other illicit opioids, including heroin and synthetic opioids.
Approximate percentage of heroin users who reported using prescription opioids prior to heroin.3
Estimated cost of overdose deaths in the United States in 2020.5
New Science Offers a Potential Solution
Opioids cause euphoria and addiction through their interaction with the µ-opioid peptide (MOP) receptor. Current treatments for OUD work primarily by blocking the MOP receptors, leaving fewer receptors free to be stimulated by drugs of abuse. These treatments have well-known limitations, including high risks for overdose, withdrawal symptoms and physical dependence.
As a first-in-class investigational dual nociceptin/orphanin FQ peptide (NOP) receptor and MOP receptor (dual-NMR) agonist, cebranopadol has the potential to offer a safe and highly effective treatment for OUD. By simultaneously stimulating the NOP and MOP receptors, cebranopadol has demonstrated in preclinical studies that it may block the effects of attempts to misuse opioids and other potentially addictive substances, while also blunting the high and euphoria associated with MOP stimulation. We believe cebranopadol has the potential to become the new standard-of-care treatment for OUD.
Based on a thorough review of data from preclinical studies, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded Tris Pharma up to $16.6 million to further evaluate cebranopadol’s potential as a treatment for OUD. Under the grant, Tris will collaborate with renowned addiction experts to complete preclinical through Phase 2 studies.*
1 https://www.addictionhelp.com/addiction/statistics/.
2 Accessed 05/29/2024 via online site www. Samhsa.gov.
3 Accessed on 05/29/2024 via online site www.nida.nih.gov.
4 CDC WONDER Database. Accessed 05/29/2024 via online site https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates.
5 Accessed on 05/29/2024 via online site www.jec.senate.gov.
* Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UG3DA059285. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.