---
title: "Ziconotide"
canonical_url: https://peptidelibrary.app/library/ziconotide
description: "Synthetic equivalent of a cone snail venom peptide, approved for severe chronic pain in adults for whom intrathecal therapy is warranted and who are intolerant of or refractory to other treatments."
updated: 2026-11-07
publisher: Peptide Library
notice: "Research and educational use only. Not medical advice."
---

# Ziconotide

Ziconotide is a research peptide in the Calcium Channel Blocker class. Ziconotide is a 25-amino-acid omega-conotoxin that selectively blocks N-type voltage-gated calcium channels on primary nociceptive afferents in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Blocking calcium influx prevents release of pain-signalling neurotransmitters.

Synthetic equivalent of a cone snail venom peptide, approved for severe chronic pain in adults for whom intrathecal therapy is warranted and who are intolerant of or refractory to other treatments.

## Classification

- Type: FDA-approved N-type calcium channel blocker
- Mechanism class: Calcium Channel Blocker
- Development stage: Approved product
- Regulatory class: FDA-approved medicine

## Mechanism

Ziconotide is a 25-amino-acid omega-conotoxin that selectively blocks N-type voltage-gated calcium channels on primary nociceptive afferents in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Blocking calcium influx prevents release of pain-signalling neurotransmitters. It does not act at opioid receptors, so it neither produces tolerance in the opioid sense nor is reversed by naloxone, and it must be delivered intrathecally because it does not cross the blood-brain barrier.

## Properties

- Molecular formula: C102H172N36O32S7
- Molecular weight: 2,639.2 g/mol
- Half-life: About 4.6 hours in cerebrospinal fluid after intrathecal dosing; 1.3 hours in serum
- Studied routes: Intrathecal

## Evidence

- Evidence level: FDA Approved
- Highest documented: Regulatory review (FDA label)
- Human trials: 0
- Controlled human trials: 0
- Preclinical sources: 0

Each step shows whether the sources Peptide Library has reviewed include that kind of research. Counts are reviewed sources, not every study ever published. Reviews and programme summaries that describe human use are shown as "reported", not as trials, and registered trials without published results are listed but not counted. A higher step means research has progressed further; it does not mean a compound works better or is safer. Compounds whose evidence has not been reviewed yet show "Not reviewed" instead of a guess.

### Studies

1. PRIALT (ziconotide) intrathecal infusion (Esteve Pharmaceuticals) — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed. Regulatory label (FDA), human. Population: Adults with severe chronic pain for whom intrathecal therapy is warranted and who are intolerant of or refractory to other treatments [Source](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=57376a5b-4530-9018-e063-6394a90a9afe)

## Safety

Human safety basis: FDA prescribing information

## Regulatory status

Ziconotide is an FDA-approved product for specific labelled indications. Approval does not extend to the research contexts described on this page, and approved products are prescription medicines.

- FDA status: Approved
- Availability: Prescription-Only

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Ziconotide?

Synthetic equivalent of a cone snail venom peptide, approved for severe chronic pain in adults for whom intrathecal therapy is warranted and who are intolerant of or refractory to other treatments.

### How does Ziconotide work?

Ziconotide is a 25-amino-acid omega-conotoxin that selectively blocks N-type voltage-gated calcium channels on primary nociceptive afferents in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Blocking calcium influx prevents release of pain-signalling neurotransmitters.

### Is Ziconotide FDA approved?

Yes. Ziconotide is approved by the FDA, and approved products are prescription medicines. Approval is always for specific indications studied in clinical trials, so an approved status does not mean the compound is approved for every use it is discussed for. Research-chemical material sold under the same name is not the approved product.

### What peptides are similar to Ziconotide?

Compounds most often compared with Ziconotide include Angiotensin II, Cetrorelix, Corticorelin and Cosyntropin. They are grouped by shared mechanism or research area rather than by equivalence, and their regulatory status and evidence base differ.

## References

- [A comprehensive review on ziconotide — Heliyon, 2024](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38779019/)
- [Administering ziconotide and monitoring patients treated with ziconotide: expert opinions — Pain Manag Nurs, 2013](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23972874/)
- [Ziconotide: a clinical update and pharmacologic review — Expert Opin Pharmacother, 2013](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23537340/)
- [Ziconotide, 2006](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37247359/)
- [Ziconotide, 2026](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29083772/)

Note: Dose figures are left out of this Markdown version. See the cited sources.