Light-activated opioid painkiller may work without dangerous side effects

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Researchers have developed an experimental opioid painkiller that can be switched on and off using different light frequencies, potentially keeping its effects localized and away from the brain. The approach may reduce risks such as addiction and other side effects, though the drug remains experimental.

Opioid painkillers are some of the strongest analgesic medicines, but they are also the riskiest owing to a range of side effects, including addiction. An experimental opioid painkiller designed to be reversibly switched on and off with different light frequencies, keeping its action local and out of the brain, may eliminate the dangerous side effects of current opioids, according to a study led by Weill Cornell Medicine and University of Pennsylvania investigators. The findings herald a broad new approach for targeting medicines more precisely and effectively.