Sea snails to give Elan boost in race to find painkiller

A NEW painkilling drug by Elan, made from a compound found in sea snails, has been given approval by US regulators for use on patients.

The drug, called Prialt, was formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday after extensive patients’ trials, and will be on sale in January.

The drug is based on the synthetic equivalent of a poisonous compound found in a species of sea snail. The trials have shown Prialt to be effective in relieving chronic pain and other nervous systems disorders.