New opioid DFNZ relieves pain with potentially lower addiction risk in rats
A Nature paper reports that a newly patented nitazene opioid, DFNZ, provides pain relief in rats with less risk of overdose and addiction signals than morphine: it causes less respiratory depression, does not trigger a large dopamine surge, and rats self-administering DFNZ showed milder withdrawal than those given morphine. In heroin self-administration tests, DFNZ and fentanyl reduced lever-pressing compared with placebo, suggesting potential uses for treating opioid use disorder. However, researchers caution that these are early animal results, and rigorous multi-phase clinical trials are needed to assess safety, efficacy, and appropriate dosing before any human use could be approved, likely a decade or more away.