Information on prescription pain medication Zaconizide.

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Request for Question Clarification by scriptor-ga on 20 Jun 2004 16:19 PDT

What kind of information? Chemical structure? Names of manufacturers? Market data?

Scriptor

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Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Jun 2004 16:37 PDT

In addition to knowing precisely what sort of information you seek, it
would also be helpful if you could check the spelling of the drug's
name.

I have found not one online reference to "Zaconizide." Where did you
learn of this drug? Could it be known by another name?

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Clarification of Question by black_widow-ga on 21 Jun 2004 06:14 PDT

I am looking for the name of the manufacturer, availableity. This
medicine is a by-product of research done with 'Cone Shell Venomn' and
was looked at as a non-adictive replacement for morphine sulphate in
long term pain controle cases.
  The info I have just givin was seen on the Learning Channel on cable
TV. I posted this question a I had already attempted to get additional
info from 'TLC' and all normal web sourceses.
                                            Thanks

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Request for Question Clarification by librariankt-ga on 21 Jun 2004 08:54 PDT

Hi there -
I've also not been able to find anything with the trade name
"Zaconizide."  However, there are a number of pain medicines derived
from cone shell venom being tested or newly on the market.  Would you
be interested in information about them?
- Librariankt

Dear Black_widow,

With the hints from Voila below I have been able to track down this
drug, along with the manufacturer etc. (thanks, V!).  The correct name
of the drug is Ziconotide, and it is made by Neurex Corp (a subsidiary
of Elan Pharmaceuticals, who ran the clinical trials). The brand name
of this drug is Prialt.

DocMD: Ziconotide
http://docmd.com/ziconotide/index.asp

Clinical Trials.gov: Prialt
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct/gui/show/NCT00047749?order=28

Elan Pharmaceuticals Fact Sheet: Prialt
http://www.elan.com/research_development/prialt/default.asp

As Voila noted, this drug is expected to be available early in 2005. 
Here's a press release from Elan about the drug and its release:
http://www.elan.com/News/full.asp?ID=482010

On Voila's hints I went back into Clinicaltrials.gov and did a search
among Phase 3 (completed) trials for pain medications to find the
correct spelling.  Then I did a Google search for "ziconotide" to get
the above sites.  If you do a search for "cone shell venom" you'll see
that there are some other drugs also in development.  If you'd like
information on them, please let me know.

Librariankt

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Clarification of Answer by librariankt-ga on 22 Jun 2004 16:34 PDT

Thank you for the generous tip, Rick!  Please let me know if there's
anything else I can help you with - and in the meantime, good luck
with the pain.  I hope the Prialt works out for you.  Librariankt

Absolutly the best, exactly what I needed. 
   I've been bed ridden disabled from my 3rd surgery, a fusion with
devices from L1-S2, and have been on 300mg of Morphine Sulphate SR
spread ovey 3 doses per day. I hope to find something that will let me
regain my life. Social Security Dissability is a help, but only 1/4 on
my pre dissabibity salery.
         Thanks again too all who helped. Rick

LKT, try some vowel substitutions.  This drug is in phase III clinical
trials and due out the first quarter of 2005.  It also has a brand
name already.

I'm up to my ears and don't have time to research it completely, but
the spelling is off by a few letters.  There's also something similar
being developed by the Aussies.  Hope those are enough hints.

No problem, cookie, and *anything for a hard-workin' librarian and a
black widow.  I'm on the Medical Mystery Gestalt Tour full-time so
soundalikes drugs come easy for me.  What's not is a succinct and
timely answer.  I wander hopelessly off-topic on questions like these,
so I'll just act as a German short-haired pointer.
http://www.akc.org/breeds/recbreeds/germshor.cfm

Here's some added info:

"Several components of these highly effective venoms have already
proven powerful tools for ion channel and receptor research, one has
been approved as a drug and four more are already in or about to enter
clinical trials."
http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/links/doi/10.1111/j.1432-1033.2004.04171.x/full

Various conotoxins (alpha, mu, delta, omega and king kong peptides)
http://www.kingsnake.com/toxinology/conotoxins.html

Australia's Metabolic Pharmaceuticals pipeline drug, ACV1(preclinical)
http://www.metabolic.com.au

"ACV1 operates by a completely different mechanism to other compounds
currently in development that are also derived from cone snails. The
chief perceived advantages of ACV1 are excellent tolerability well
above the therapeutic range and effectiveness by subcutaneous
injection, a convenient method of dosing. Other compounds derived from
cone snails (such as ziconotide from Elan and XEN2174 from Xenome)
need to be delivered by direct injection into the spine to either
reduce side effects or to maximise effectiveness. ACV1 is expected to
avoid side effects in the central nervous system as it acts in the
peripheral nervous system."

Abbott Labs ABT-594(5) epibatidine in early clinical trials; an
alkaloid toxin from the Ecuadorian frog, Epipedobates tricolor.
http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t980326a.html
http://www.nih.gov/news/NIH-Record/09_03_2002/story01.htm

A lot of times you can find research info on specialized bulletin
boards like this one:
http://carecure.atinfopop.com/4/OpenTopic?a=cfrm&s=4754088921&f=2144039141

Okay, gotta go 'on tour' now....
*V*

V, I think you're my new favorite researcher. :)

Seriously, though, after having looked at all the promising products
from the cone shell venom, I'm really heartened by what could be
coming out in pain therapy.  It's really cool that researchers are
finding these nifty substances right here on earth - yet another
reason why we should take care of our oceans and forests!  I wonder if
my pharmacy school folks are working on these things... LKT

LKT, yeah, I agree.  There's nothing worse than a polluted cone snail.
 The research on this question was too juicy to pass up -- I just
needed to carve out some time to *do* it.  So how's about I call in a
favor and you help me grok a name for Steve's nutraceutical.  I don't
think I've nailed it and could use some fresh ideas.  If anything
comes to you, would you scoot on over to:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=363767

Rick, I can relate to your pain situation.  While I'm far from
disabled, I do need some pain meds occasionally and play hardball with
my docs to get a #30 script for Vicodin.  I take my meds responsibly
but docs make you feel like a criminal if you ask for them.  And now
the DEA wants to add additional restrictions.  Yeah, I know all the
dangers, but dang you, Rush Limbaugh, et al.
http://opioids.com/hydrocodone/painpolice.html

I'm glad to see all the pain and neurotransmitter research being done
and hopefully we'll all live pain-free one day -- maybe with the help
of a rout of cone snails, a clutter of spiders, and colony of
Ecuadorian tree frogs.  It's all quite fascinating.
http://www.chemsoc.org/chembytes/ezine/1999/berressem_apr99.htm

Happy peptide trails to you, Rick!
*V*