Alkermes, Inc. today announced positive preliminary results from a phase 3 clinical trial of naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension (XR-NTX) for the treatment of opioid dependence. The six-month phase 3 study met its primary efficacy endpoint and data showed that patients treated once-monthly with XR-NTX demonstrated statistically significant higher rates of clean (opioid-free) urine screens, compared to patients treated with placebo, as measured by the cumulative distribution of clean urine screens (p<0.0002). [More]

China Aoxing Pharmaceutical Company, Inc. (OTCBB: CAXG) ("China Aoxing"), a China-based pharmaceutical company specializing in research, development, manufacturing and distribution of narcotic and pain-management products, today announced that its Clinical Trial Application ("CTA") for Tilidine/Naloxone Capsules, an opioid drug with abuse resistance property, was officially approved by the China State Food and Drug Administration ("SFDA"). [More]

Adding a drug called neostigmine to epidural analgesia during labor can reduce the amount of anesthetic drug required, while avoiding potential complications caused by morphine-like "opioid" drugs, according to a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS). [More]

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Onsolis, medication intended for certain patients with cancer to help manage breakthrough pain – severe flares of pain that break through regular pain medication. [More]

Chemical dependency and recovery in patients and physicians are closely examined in a series of articles and editorials in the July 2009 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings. The subject is especially timely. As the immense challenges, including potential tragedies, of prescription chemical addiction and abuse are being discussed, these articles offer crucial overview, direction and optimism. [More]

Giving a local anaesthetic during a Caesarean section helps manage pain after the operation and can reduce consumption of painkillers, according to Cochrane Researchers. The researchers recommend local anaesthetics as part of integrated pain management strategies for Caesarean section operations, provided that consideration is given to the cost. [More]

Giving a local anaesthetic during a Caesarean section helps manage pain after the operation and can reduce consumption of painkillers, according to Cochrane Researchers. The researchers recommend local anaesthetics as part of integrated pain management strategies for Caesarean section operations, provided that consideration is given to the cost. [More]

Injections of THC, the active principle of cannabis, eliminate dependence on opiates (morphine, heroin) in rats deprived of their mothers at birth. This has been shown by a study carried out by Valérie Daugé and her team at the Laboratory for Physiopathology of Diseases of the Central Nervous System (UPMC / CNRS / INSERM) in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology. The findings could lead to therapeutic alternatives to existing substitution treatments. [More]

The latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows in the last decade the number of Australians being treated for heroin, or other opioid, addiction has almost doubled. [More]

A study published in the June issue of Anesthesiology has shown that a drug metabolite of the opioid morphine may be a key factor in the paradoxical increased sensitivity to pain caused by chronic morphine use. For the first time, this metabolite (called morphine-6 glucuronide, or M6G) was shown to act independently of the pain receptors typically targeted during morphine administration. [More]

The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has launched an initiative to help ensure the safe use of methadone. [More]

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has announced that it has initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of ARX-02, a proprietary sublingual sufentanil NanoTab product candidate for cancer breakthrough pain control. [More]

Morphine and other opioids are widely used to treat both acute and chronic pain – yet their benefits are often limited because some people experience side effects or do not respond to them efficiently. [More]

For Tara Campbell, the onset of her fibromyalgia began slowly with repeated sore throats, fevers and fatigue. [More]

The U.S Food and Drug Administration today amended its March 30, 2009, action warning manufacturers to stop the production and distribution of certain unapproved prescription opioids, to allow the continued marketing and distribution of one particular type of opioid -- a high concentrate morphine sulfate oral solution -- on an interim basis. [More]