Fentanyl News and Research

RSS

Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opiate analgesic similar to but more potent than morphine. It is typically used to treat patients with severe pain, or to manage pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat people with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to opiates. It is a schedule II prescription drug.

New study reveals striking data about misuse of painkillers and sedatives by teens, young adults

With prescription drug abuse at epidemic levels nationwide, and overdoses killing more people than auto accidents in many states, a new University of Michigan study provides striking new data about the misuse of potent prescription painkillers and sedatives by teens and young adults.

30 Oct 2013

Breast cancer patients receiving nerve block with general anesthesia have less cancer recurrence

Breast cancer patients who received the combination of a nerve block with general anesthesia for their breast cancer surgery had less cancer recurrence and were three times less likely to die than those who received only general anesthesia, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013 annual meeting.

16 Oct 2013

Few physicians receive adequate training to help patients with chronic pain

Pain is the most common reason a patient sees a physician but few physicians have received adequate training to help their patients, according to a Henry Ford Hospital article published in the Journal of American Osteopathic Association.

13 Aug 2013

Forest Laboratories, Pierre Fabre Laboratories announce that FETZIMA gets FDA approval for MDD

Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Pierre Fabre Laboratories announced today that FETZIMA (levomilnacipran extended-release capsules), a once-daily serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, discovered by Pierre Fabre Laboratories and co-developed by Forest Laboratories, Inc. was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder in adults.

26 Jul 2013

BioDelivery Sciences International submits BUNAVAIL NDA to FDA

BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. announced today that it engaged in a positive pre-New Drug Application meeting with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding BUNAVAIL for the maintenance treatment of opioid dependence.

10 Jun 2013

EADV spring symposium: Bioalliance Pharma presents Sitavig study results

BioAlliance Pharma SA, a Company dedicated to the development of orphan oncology products and supportive care products, has presented the results of the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study on Sitavig at the 10th EADV spring symposium (European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology) in Cracow (Poland) on May 24, 2013.

28 May 2013

Sucampo's supplemental new drug application for AMITIZA gets FDA approval

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc. announced today that the United States Food and Drug Administration has approved Sucampo's supplemental new drug application for AMITIZA (lubiprostone) (24 mcg twice daily) as the first and only oral medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain.

24 Apr 2013

Study indentifies unmet medical need for treatment of patients with chronic pain and dysphagia

Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for chronic pain, today announced the completion of a research study, conducted with an independent market research firm, that identified a significant unmet medical need for improved treatments for patients with chronic pain and dysphagia/odynophagia. In clinical practice, dysphagia is most often defined as difficulty in swallowing and odynophagia is defined as pain upon swallowing.

22 Apr 2013

Growth in opioid use prompts safety concerns

Prescriptions for opioid drugs have increased significantly in Germany over the past decade, a survey of insurance data has found.

20 Feb 2013

BioAlliance Pharma to extend Validive phase II trial in head and neck cancer

BioAlliance Pharma SA, an innovative Company dedicated to the development of orphan oncology products and to supportive care products, announces the extension of its phase II clinical trial with Validive in the United States in radio/chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis prevention in patients with head and neck cancer.

15 Feb 2013

Study: OEND effectively addresses epidemic of fatal opioid overdose

In a study of communities in Massachusetts with high numbers of opioid overdose deaths, the implementation of overdose education and naloxone distribution (OEND) was associated with a significant reduction in opioid overdose death rates.

2 Feb 2013

Daily sedation interruption does not benefit critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients

For critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation, daily sedation interruption did not reduce the duration of mechanical ventilation or appear to offer any benefit to patients, and may have increased both sedation and analgesic use and nurse workload, according to a study appearing in JAMA.

19 Oct 2012

FTC votes to approve Watson's acquisition of Actavis

Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has voted to approve Watson's acquisition of the Actavis group of companies.

16 Oct 2012

ProStrakan acquires US commercial rights to Fareston for treatment of metastatic breast cancer

ProStrakan Group plc announces today that it has acquired exclusive US commercial rights to Fareston (toremifene citrate) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

1 Oct 2012

BioAlliance, Vestiq enter licensing agreement to commercialize Oravig in the US

BioAlliance Pharma SA, an innovative Company dedicated to the development of orphan oncology products and to supportive care products, announces the execution of the licensing agreement with Vestiq Pharmaceuticals to commercialize Oravig in the United States for the treatment of oropharyngeal candidiasis in adults.

24 Sep 2012

Unique approaches to improve pain management in hospitals and clinical practices

Five recent Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing DNP graduates have taken different and unique approaches in working to improve the implementation of pain management in hospitals and clinical practices.

1 Sep 2012

Mallinckrodt receives FDA approval for 32 mg tablet strength of EXALGO

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified Mallinckrodt, the pharmaceuticals business of Covidien, that it has approved a 32 mg tablet strength of EXALGO (hydromorphone HCI) Extended-Release Tablets (CII) for opioid-tolerant patients with moderate-to-severe chronic pain requiring continuous around-the-clock opioid analgesia for an extended period of time.

27 Aug 2012

Fizzy tablet is best method to receive fentanyl for cancer pain

Results of a mixed treatment comparison show that fentanyl in the form of an effervescent buccal tablet can better relieve the intensity of breakthrough cancer pain in the first 60 minutes after dosing compared with other fentanyl formulations.

23 Aug 2012

Enrollment complete in BDSI's pivotal pharmacokinetic study of BNX for opioid dependence

BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. announced that enrollment and the clinical portion of the pivotal pharmacokinetic study for BEMA Buprenorphine/Naloxone (BNX) for the treatment of opioid dependence has been completed.

20 Aug 2012

Electronic PMP use may have impact on demand for drug treatment programs, painkiller abuse

A Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that the use of electronic prescription drug monitoring programs (PMPs) may have a significant impact on the demand for drug treatment programs and how prescribers detect and respond to abuse of painkillers.

17 Aug 2012