Grant: Project Grant

Roughly 6 million Canadians report a form of chronic pain, yet half of the sufferers do not get enough pain relief from their medications. This severely affects their quality of life and has significant social and economic burdens. Opioid medications, such as morphine, are the most powerful pain killers available, but these drugs also cause serious side effects, such as suppressed breathing, leading to a high risk of death from overdose. As a result, their clinical efficacy for chronic pain is hampered due to the limited dose that can be safely given to patients. Between Jan 2016 and Sep 2018, there were 10,337 opioid overdose deaths in Canada. This worsening opioid epidemic has resulted in changes in opioid prescribing standards, and half of the chronic pain sufferers can no longer access opioid drugs, leaving these patients under-treated. Dr. Li will lead a team to produce a new, effective, and safe drug for chronic pain relief. This new drug will improve pain relief options and access for patients who suffer from chronic pain. The team will work with a British Columbia-based pharmaceutical company, Eupraxia, to ensure this new drug is readily available to pain sufferers through primary care to all populations in Canada.