Analgesia News and Research

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Alkermes' VIVITROL medication for treatment of opioid dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved VIVITROL(naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) for the prevention of relapse to opioid dependence, following opioid detoxification.

13 Oct 2010

Repinotan blocks respiratory depressant effects of morphine without altering pain-relieving effects

A new drug called repinotan blocks the respiratory depressant effects of morphine-like opioid drugs—without altering their potent pain-relieving effects, according to a study in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

6 Oct 2010

J&JPRD receives FDA Complete Response Letter for tapentadol ER tablets NDA

Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development, L.L.C. (J&JPRD) announced today that it received a Complete Response letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding its New Drug Application (NDA) for tapentadol extended release tablets.

4 Oct 2010

Trial demonstrates improved outcomes in unsedated colonoscopy by water method

The October issue of GIE Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), features the results of two randomized controlled trials of unsedated colonoscopy comparing water infusion versus air insufflation to distend the colon.

30 Sep 2010

Masimo's noninvasive SpMet provides measurements comparable to invasive methemoglobin testing

Masimo announced today that a new clinical study published in Anesthesia & Analgesia demonstrates that Masimo noninvasive and continuous methemoglobin (SpMet®) measurements provide a high degree of agreement in measurements with corresponding laboratory values of methemoglobin obtained by invasive methemoglobin testing. In addition, the authors concluded that SpMet could facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of methemoglobinemia during high-risk procedures.

22 Sep 2010

FDA Advisory Committee recommends approval of Alkermes' VIVITROL for opioid dependence

Alkermes, Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee voted 12 to 1 that VIVITROL® (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) should be approved for the treatment of opioid dependence.

17 Sep 2010

FDA grants Arcion's ARC-4558 Fast Track designation for pain involved in Painful Diabetic Neuropathy

Arcion Therapeutics, a venture backed clinical stage biotechnology company developing topical therapies for chronic pain, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted Fast Track designation to ARC-4558 for the treatment of pain associated with Painful Diabetic Neuropathy (PDN).

15 Sep 2010

Purdue Pharma to present Butrans Transdermal System CIII clinical program data at PAINWeek 2010

Purdue Pharma L.P. will present data from the clinical program for Butrans™ (buprenorphine) Transdermal System CIII in a series of posters at PAINWeek®2010, September 8-10 in Las Vegas.

10 Sep 2010

CombinatoRx is now Zalicus

CombinatoRx, Incorporated today announced that it has changed its name to Zalicus Inc. The company will begin trading under the new ticker symbol ZLCS on the NASDAQ Global Market at market open on September 9, 2010.

9 Sep 2010

Expansion of rapid response systems throughout the Veterans Affairs network can reduce morbidity

Implementing a rapid response team to aid in managing "potentially unstable" patients has led to a sharp reduction in the rate of cardiac arrests at a U.S. Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital, reports a study in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

27 Aug 2010

Surgical robots could be used for teleanesthesia: Study

An existing surgical robot could be used to perform complex regional anesthesia procedures—in theory, allowing expert anesthesiologists to perform robot-assisted procedures from remote locations, according to a study in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

27 Aug 2010

Echo Therapeutics completes clinical study of Prelude SkinPrep System

Echo Therapeutics, Inc., a company developing its needle-free Symphony™ tCGM System as a non-invasive, wireless, transdermal continuous glucose monitoring system and its Prelude SkinPrep System for transdermal drug delivery, today announced the completion of a clinical study of Prelude.

25 Aug 2010

Endo to acquire Penwest for $5.00 per share

Endo Pharmaceuticals today announced actions designed to advance the company's leadership and growth in pain management, including an agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Penwest Pharmaceuticals for $5.00 in cash per share, or an estimated enterprise value of approximately $144 million at the time of deal close. Penwest has been working with Endo since 1997 on the development and commercialization of OPANA® ER and receives a royalty stream on net sales of the product.

10 Aug 2010

Morphine plus oxycodone IV combination exhibits improved analgesia, tolerability compared to IV morphine

QRxPharma Limited announced today positive results of its Phase 2 comparative proof-of-concept study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of its IV (intravenous) formulation of morphine plus oxycodone versus IV morphine alone for the treatment of moderate to severe post-operative pain in patients following hip replacement surgery. The main findings demonstrated that QRxPharma's formulation of MoxDuo IV resulted in fewer side effects and offered better pain relief than morphine alone.

9 Aug 2010

Menstrual cycle affects body's response to tracheal intubation: Research

In women undergoing surgery, the heart rate and blood pressure response to ventilation tube placement varies at different times of the menstrual cycle, according to a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

3 Aug 2010

Etoricoxib better than opioid drug tramadol for postoperative pain: Study

For patients with moderate pain after foot surgery, the cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) inhibitor drug etoricoxib provides better pain relief with fewer side effects than the opioid drug tramadol, concludes a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

3 Aug 2010

Study analyses anesthetic effects on surgical site infections

A study appearing in the August 2010 issue of Anesthesiology found that patients receiving a total hip or knee replacement in Taiwan had a higher incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) when general anesthesia was administered for the operation than when the same procedures were performed under epidural/spinal (regional) anesthesia.

27 Jul 2010

Arcion reports top-line results from ARC-4558 Phase 2b clinical trial for painful diabetic neuropathy

Arcion Therapeutics, a venture backed clinical stage biotechnology company developing topical therapies for chronic pain, today announced top-line results from a successful Phase 2b double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial of its lead topical pain candidate, ARC-4558, in adult patients with painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN). Arcion recently held an End of Phase 2 meeting with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the ARC-4558 program is now poised to enter Phase 3 studies.

20 Jul 2010

Study shows nonwhite physicians attain better pain control using less analgesia

Research has shown that patients from ethnic minority groups receive less analgesic-based pain treatment in emergency departments than whites, however, a study published in The Journal of Pain reports that nonwhite physicians achieve better pain control using less analgesia.