Since 2012, Wellcome has provided £4.5m in funding to develop Professor McNaughton’s work towards candidate drug compounds for blocking HCN2.

Finding alternatives for highly addictive opioids has become a priority for the FDA, and some pharma companies in the light of the opioid addiction crisis that is gripping America.

Over-prescription of opioids has been blamed for hundreds of thousands of deaths attributed to this type of drug.

After years of delays because of the FDA’s concerns over safety, Pfizer and Eli Lilly are developing the anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) drug tanezumab for conditions such as chronic lower back pain.

Although the drug has hit endpoints in pain relief, there are lingering doubts over its long-term safety.

Results from an osteoarthritis study announced in late January showed that in a small percentage of patients the drug seemed to make the disease become more aggressive, although the drug met its efficacy endpoints at a higher dose.