Several medicines trace back to animal venoms, including the blood pressure drug captopril (Brazilian pit viper), the diabetes drug exenatide (Gila monster) and the painkiller ziconotide (cone snail).
US4046889A: Azetidine-2-carboxylic acid derivatives. E. R. Squibb & Sons (inventors Miguel Angel Ondetti, David W. Cushman). Filed 1976, granted 1977. Status: Expired.
US5424286A: Exendin-3 and exendin-4 polypeptides, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising same. John Eng (as listed). Filed 1993, granted 1995. Status: Expired.
US5051403A: Method of treating ischemia-related neuronal damage. Neurex Corp (inventors George P. Miljanich, Robert S. Bitner and others). Filed 1989, granted 1991. Status: Expired.
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Bowersox and Luther reviewed the therapeutic potential of omega-conotoxin MVIIA (SNX-111), an N-type calcium channel blocker from the venom of the cone snail Conus magus.
Built / tested: ziconotide
As reported in: Bowersox, Luther (1998). Pharmacotherapeutic potential of omega-conotoxin MVIIA (SNX-111), an N-type neuronal calcium channel blocker found in the venom of Conus magus. Toxicon. doi:10.1016/s0041-0101(98)00158-5
Ferreira found that the venom of the Brazilian pit viper Bothrops jararaca contains a factor that strongly potentiates the action of bradykinin, and studied its chemical nature.
As reported in: FERREIRA (1965). A BRADYKININ‐POTENTIATING FACTOR (BPF) PRESENT IN THE VENOM OF BOTHROPS JARARACA. British Journal of Pharmacology and Chemotherapy. doi:10.1111/j.1476-5381.1965.tb02091.x
Ondetti, Rubin and Cushman used a model of the angiotensin-converting enzyme's active site to design a new class of orally active inhibitors that lowered blood pressure in rats, the work behind captopril.
Built / tested: captopril
As reported in: Ondetti, Rubin, Cushman (1977). Design of Specific Inhibitors of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme: New Class of Orally Active Antihypertensive Agents. Science. doi:10.1126/science.191908
Eng and colleagues isolated exendin-4, a 39-amino-acid peptide, from the venom of the Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum).
Built / tested: exenatide
As reported in: Eng, Kleinman, Singh et al. (1992). Isolation and characterization of exendin-4, an exendin-3 analogue, from Heloderma suspectum venom. Further evidence for an exendin receptor on dispersed acini from guinea pig pancreas.. Journal of Biological Chemistry. doi:10.1016/s0021-9258(18)42531-8
Rauck and colleagues found that slowly increasing doses of ziconotide, a non-opioid painkiller delivered into the spinal fluid, significantly improved severe chronic pain and was better tolerated than in earlier trials.
Built / tested: ziconotide
As reported in: Rauck, Wallace, Leong et al. (2006). A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of Intrathecal Ziconotide in Adults with Severe Chronic Pain. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2005.10.003