AIKO Biotechnology Inc. in Portland last week filed an application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pursue human trials with a new drug it is developing to counter the adverse side effects of prescription pain killers.

The application filed with the FDA will pave the way for the Portland biotech firm to begin small-scale human trials on its new drug, which at the moment is called AIKO-150, according to a press release from the company. "Everyone agrees that our animal data is interesting, but no one is interested in treating mice, so the human data is critical for maximizing the value of AIKO's technology," AIKO President Bill Emhiser said in the release.

Positive results from the tests will lead to the full-scale development of AIKO-150 as a treatment for the adverse side effects of drugs like morphine and oxycodone, which include bowel dysfunction and addiction.