A Glimmer of Hope in the Quest for a Nonaddictive Painkiller

When it comes to alleviating pain, nothing beats opioids, which have been used for thousands of years to replace discomfort with euphoria. Users can easily get hooked, however, particularly with lab-made versions such as fentanyl. In the US, opioids are responsible for three-quarters of overdose deaths. Drugmakers have little to show from years of searching for alternatives that don’t pose the risk of addiction, but now an experimental candidate from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. offers a glimmer of hope.