Posted by Bog G on February 25, 1999 at 15:48:42:
This is something I saw in the Las Vegas Sun newspaper. I'm going to try to call the doc, Stephen Miller, and ask some questions. If he'll take my call I'll let you know.
February 22, 1999
Powerful pain-killer will be tested in Las
Vegas
By Art Nadler Las Vegas has been chosen as one of only 15 cities Tests on ABT-594, developed by Abbott Laboratories If approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the The drug is naturally derived from the skin of a tiny frog "The drug won't stop inflammation, but how you The nationwide study is expected to last several years Two studies in Las Vegas will be conducted over the Between 20 and 30 people will be involved in both ABT-596 is the latest in advances in pain killers being The most recent breakthrough was Celebrex, "Celebrex was a major breakthrough," Miller said. "All Since 1997, Miller said he has been involved in 30
LAS VEGAS SUN
in the United States to test a new pain-killing drug that
is 200 times more powerful than morphine, a research
facility announced last week.
of North Chicago, Ill., will begin Tuesday at Sunrise
Hospital and Medical Center under the direction of Dr.
Stephen Miller, a Las Vegas internal medicine
physician and lead investigator in the study.
drug could be a godsend to millions of people
suffering from arthritis.
in Ecuador called Epibpedobates tricolor. It is no
bigger than a fingernail and is bright red and green.
ABT-596 is a derivative of the frog's poison.
perceive the pain," Miller said Friday. And unlike
narcotics now prescribed -- such as codeine, Lortab
and morphine -- ABT-596 is not addictive.
before the FDA considers approving the drug.
next two months, Miller said. One will involve people
seeking treatment for arthritis of the knee, and the
other will be for patients who undergo hip and knee
operations.
studies, Miller said. Neither the patients nor the
researchers will know who is taking a placebo or
ABT-596.
researched in the medical community over the past
two decades.
approved by the FDA in December, which Miller also
helped research. Some physicians think Celebrex will
reduce inflammation as new generations of the drug
are developed.
these years, research has been going into cancer and
heart disease. Now, there is a whole new level of pain
control that we are getting into because people want to
have quality of life."
studies for major drug companies. He said Las Vegas
has the undeserved reputation of having poor medical
facilities and doctors, but he thinks that is slowly
changing.