In 2012, as the main driver of fatalities in the opioid crisis shifted from prescription pills to heroin, researcher Laura Bohn was assigned the task of discovering safer medications for pain management.
The Discovery of SR-17018
Backed by funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bohn and a team of fellow scientists published findings in the science journal Cell in 2017. Their research demonstrated that specific compounds, notably a promising one named SR-17018, successfully relieved pain in mice while avoiding respiratory depression. This factor holds immense significance because respiratory depression is typically the mechanism that causes individuals consuming opioids to cease breathing and suffer fatal overdoses.
According to Bohn, who serves as the senior associate vice president of research at University of South Florida Health, her team subsequently filed a patent for SR-17018. Further investigation revealed that mice administered the chemical did not build a high tolerance to it. Additionally, mice already dependent on the potent opioid morphine could ingest SR-17018 to reset their tolerance levels without experiencing painful withdrawal symptoms.
Online Communities and Recent DEA Ban
Use of SR-17018 eventually expanded beyond laboratory mice. Individuals who use drugs frequently discuss the compound on platforms like Reddit and Discord, describing it as a vital remedy that has assisted them in overcoming their opioid addictions. Until recently, the substance lacked regulation by the US Food and Drug Administration but remained simple to buy online because it was not classified as a federally controlled substance. Meanwhile, Bohn had been working toward initiating human clinical trials, which have never been performed.
Those research and treatment efforts abruptly ended when the US Drug Enforcement Administration utilized its emergency scheduling authority in late August to place SR-17018 into Schedule I. This classification groups the substance alongside heroin, designating it as having no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.
