Bay Area researchers develop powerful fentanyl blocker 'Subetadex'

LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) -- For years, first responders have relied on the drug naloxone, also known as Narcan to prevent overdose deaths from heroin and fentanyl. It works by blocking opioid receptors from absorbing the drug. But now, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore Lab say they've developed an effective treatment that works differently.

"Our molecule is different in a way that it goes into your bloodstream. And what it does is like a Pac-Man molecule, it catches fentanyl before it reaches the target. So it intercepts it basically before it reaches the target," says chemist Carlos Valdez, Ph.D.

Valdez and biologist Mike Malfatti, Ph.D., were part of the team that developed the drug, called Subetadex. Rather than blocking receptors, they say it actually binds directly to the opioid molecule itself - effectively neutralizing it, and allowing it to be flushed out of the body more quickly. In non-human tests, they say it cut specific recovery times in half, from a little over 35 minutes to about 17 minutes for fentanyl.

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"I think that's the whole goal here is to, you know, be able to use this to prevent overdoses in an a prophylactic way and also to be therapeutic. If you come across someone who has overdosed, you can also use this drug to sequester the panel and get it out of the body. Quicker," says Malfatti

They say the drug stays active for much longer than Narcan, preventing a potential relapse without a second dose. But since the drugs worked differently, the team believes there's even a potential to use them in combination. A powerful new weapon in an ongoing public health crisis.

"So that's where the lab kind of came in and was interested in is, you know, can we use this, you know, in, in a larger scenario which might be helpful for the general public as well as military use as well," Malfatti adds.

The Livermore drug is not yet approved by the FDA. But researchers say it was developed from another drug that is FDA approved, which can typically speed the process.