Ziconotide
Also referenced as: Prialt
A synthetic conotoxin analogue used in specialist treatment of severe chronic pain.
- Evidence grade
- AStrong Clinical Evidence
Strong Clinical Evidence
- Regulatory status
- FDA Approved for Specific Indication
Prialt is FDA-approved for severe chronic pain when intrathecal therapy is warranted and other treatments are ineffective or intolerable.
- Human data
- Yes
Registered clinical trials exist
- Last reviewed
- October 27, 2026
Overview
A synthetic conotoxin analogue used in specialist treatment of severe chronic pain.
Prialt is FDA-approved for severe chronic pain when intrathecal therapy is warranted and other treatments are ineffective or intolerable.
Delivery into spinal fluid requires specialist care and is not equivalent to an ordinary injection or a wellness treatment.
Why It's Being Studied
- Severe chronic pain
- Neuronal calcium channels
Mechanism of Action
It blocks neuronal N-type calcium channels, reducing release of neurotransmitters involved in pain signalling.
It blocks neuronal N-type calcium channels, reducing release of neurotransmitters involved in pain signalling. Delivery into spinal fluid requires specialist care and is not equivalent to an ordinary injection or a wellness treatment.
From molecular target to clinical evidence
Tap each stage to see what happens.
Background: Clinical Peptide Medicines
Clinical peptide medicines include endocrine treatments, antimicrobial drugs, receptor blockers and targeted diagnostic or cancer agents. They do not share one mechanism or one set of indications.
An approval belongs to a specific medicine and indication. A diagnostic tracer, an antibiotic and a hormone are not interchangeable wellness products; read each profile's own mechanism and prescribing source.
Research Areas & Routes Studied
- Severe chronic pain
- Neuronal calcium channels
- Intrathecal approved medicine
Evidence Summary
Human trials and an approved label support a narrowly defined severe-pain indication when intrathecal treatment is appropriate.
Higher tiers carry more weight. Filled tiers have evidence for Ziconotide; tap to read it.
- Human trials and an approved label support a narrowly defined severe-pain indication when intrathecal treatment is appropriate.
1 cited sources.
- Prescribing label1
Human clinical evidence
- Human trials and an approved label support a narrowly defined severe-pain indication when intrathecal treatment is appropriate.
Reported Adverse Events in Research
- A boxed warning covers severe psychiatric and neurological reactions; a history of psychosis is a contraindication.
Limitations of Current Evidence
- Delivery into spinal fluid requires specialist care and is not equivalent to an ordinary injection or a wellness treatment.
- Findings apply to the product, route and population studied; they do not establish benefits or safety for unrelated wellness uses or research-vial products.
How to Read This Research
- Is this a single molecule or a family of medicines?
- Is the use diagnostic, therapeutic or investigational?
- Does the quoted outcome match the exact product, formulation and population?
- Use the compound-specific mechanism above; this diagram describes drug development, not a shared biological pathway.
- Historical approval, present availability and off-label use are distinct questions.
- For radiopharmaceuticals and hospital medicines, specialist handling is part of the treatment context.
- Indication
- The condition and population for which a medicine is approved.
- Antagonist
- A compound that blocks activity at a receptor.
- Radiopharmaceutical
- A medicine containing a radioactive isotope for imaging or treatment.
Compare With Other Compounds
| Ziconotide | Trofinetide | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence grade | A — Strong Clinical Evidence | B — Moderate Human Evidence |
| Regulatory status | FDA Approved for Specific Indication | FDA Approved for Specific Indication |
| Human data | Yes | Yes |
| Clinical trials | Registered trials exist | Registered trials exist |
| Research routes | Intrathecal approved medicine | Oral approved medicine |
| Cited sources | 1 | 2 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Research References
- Prescribing label
Ziconotide — prescribing label