Dear Carol,
The company's name indeed is Neurex. However, don't bother to try to
remember this name as that company has since been gobbled up by a
conglomerate named "Elan Pharmaceuticals". They paid a cool US $ 800 Million
for Neurex, if I remember correctly. So I guess they really do believe in
the potential of snail toxins as analgesics.
The name of the toxin is Ziconotide (i.e., the trade name under which they
chose to market it). The previous name (during the research and clinical
trial phase) has been SNX-111 which does not sound nearly as sexy.

The scientifically correct name, by the way, is "omega conotoxin MVIIA",
where the "M" stands for Conus magus, and the "VIIA" for a particular
fraction obtained on purification of the crude venom of this species. Omega
conotoxins block ion channels for calcium ("calcium channels") located in
the plasma membranes of neuronal cells. The beauty of omega conotoxin MVIIA
is that it is specific for so-called presynaptic calcium channels which are
critically involved in triggering neurotransmitter release. The basis of the
analgesic action is the blackade of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the
spinal cord. This means that although pain signals are still being generated
they don't reach your brain anymore because the neurotransmitter glutamate
is not being released at a key synapse in the spinal cord. Thus, you don't
perceive pain.
The crude venom of Conus magus, by the way, contains several dozen different
neuroactive compounds.
Regards,
Michael

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