Development and Translation of Super Long-acting Analgesics

Pain management, listed as the fifth vital sign, has gained increasing attention from clinicians. Conventional analgesics have limited duration, leading to intense monitor and frequent dosing during the early phase in order to prevent the progression of chronic pain. Thus, prolonging the duration of analgesics has become one focus of the pain research. Several strategies, such as adding adjuvants, producing derivatives, and applying extended-release carriers, make it possible for super long-acting analgesics to come into reality. This review briefly introduces the strategies and development of the super long-acting analgesics, including the successful translation and commercialization of the present products of super long-acting analgesics. It also summarizes the application and translation of extended-release drug carriers, providing invaluable reference for the future research on the field of super long-acting analgesics.