Scientists claim to have developed a new drug that is less risky and addictive than morphine, but has the same painkilling power. Initial tests on mice revealed that the new compound activates nerve cell surface receptors responsible for morphine’s painkilling effects. The compound is so new it doesn’t have a name, just a number. It’s only been tested in mice, and it needs years of additional animal studies before researchers can even start trials to see if it works safely in humans.

• But initial results in mice suggest the new drug might be less addictive than morphine and other opiate painkillers and avoid a side effect known as respiratory depression that results in overdose deaths, scientists say.

The new medicine might not trigger a surge in dopamine, a brain chemical involved in emotions like addiction, pleasure, and pain, said Brian Shoichet, senior author of a paper on the new drug published on Wednesday in Nature. This can be a positive step forward in stopping addiction at the source by helping people relieve their pain. Addiction all over the world is rife in certain areas, whether that be the U.S. or the Middle East, people have issues with addiction and get to a point where they either succumb to it or seek out a Drug addiction treatment center to recover and get back on track. This goes to show how important this new drug will be if it ever gets past trials.

• Globally, an estimated 15 million people are addicted to morphine and other opiates, according to the World Health Organization. About 69,000 people die from overdoses of these drugs each year. Opiates include morphine and the prescription painkillers codeine, oxycodone, oxycontin, hydrocodone and fentanyl as well as illegal drugs such as heroin. Similarly, opioid withdrawal is a set of symptoms arising from the sudden withdrawal or reduction of opioids where the previous usage has been intense and for long periods of time. Although overcoming opioid withdrawal is rarely easy, there are some herbal remedies that can make the process less intense. For instance, there is evidence to suggest that you can use kratom as needed to alleviate withdrawal after quitting opiates cold turkey, or on a more gradual basis to wean yourself off a substance in substitution for kratom. Just remember, if you are going to use a substance like kratom, it is important to speak to a medical professional first to ensure that you are making the right decision for your needs.

• “The dopamine circuit is one of the primary reward circuits in the brain, and its over-activation leads to repeated seeking of the reward stimulus – in this case, morphine (or related opioids),” said Shoichet, a researcher in pharmaceutical chemistry at the University of California, San Francisco.