Blowfish Poison Derivative Could Be A Painkiller

Makarand writes "According to this Reuters article, a Vancouver (Canada) based company is testing a painkiller derived from blowfish poison. The drug has passed two phases of clinical tests and during testing it could ease pain in terminally ill cancer patients with a dosage of few micrograms. The drug is a sodium channel blocker and works by stopping nerves from sending pain signals to the brain. The company says that the drug does not have the side effects of morphine and is non-addictive. A single blowfish can provide about 600 doses of this drug."