Snail venom cuts pain in early lab trial

An experimental drug made from snail venom has shown early signs of promise in numbing pain, raising hopes in the hunt for new, non-addictive medications, researchers said Sunday. The drug, which has not been tested yet on humans, was judged to be about 100 times more potent than morphine or gabapentin, which are currently considered the gold standard for chronic nerve pain. The marine animals can reach out and stab prey, injecting a venom that paralyzes fish long enough for the snail to eat it up. A tiny protein derived from the snail's venom has formed the basis of five new experimental compounds, said lead researcher David Craik of the University of Queensland in Australia.