Painkiller News and Research RSS Feed - Painkiller News and Research

Peripheral neuropathic pain patch treatments: an interview with Anne Hodgkins, Astellas Pharma

Peripheral neuropathic pain patch treatments: an interview with Anne Hodgkins, Astellas Pharma

Peripheral neuropathic pain is caused by lesion or disease to the peripheral somatosensory nervous system. Nerve damage that can lead to peripheral neuropathic pain can happen as a result of a range of different diseases, medications or traumatic injuries. [More]

The race to make abuse-proof painkillers; states lead on compounding pharmacy regulation

Developments in pharmaceuticals make headlines: the race to make painkillers that are difficult to abuse, state action on regulating compounding pharmacies and the difference in how much different Americans pay for prescriptions. [More]
First Edition: May 6, 2013

First Edition: May 6, 2013

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with The Washington Post, reports: "Florida is on course to spend $6 million to reach out to nearly 4 million uninsured people and help them sign up for coverage in the federal health law's online marketplace this fall. [More]
1 in 4 teens misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime

1 in 4 teens misused or abused a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime

New, nationally projectable survey results released today by The Partnership at Drugfree.org and MetLife Foundation confirmed that one in four teens has misused or abused a prescription (Rx) drug at least once in their lifetime - a 33 percent increase over the past five years. [More]
3-D brain images provide a better understanding on migraine attack

3-D brain images provide a better understanding on migraine attack

Wielding a joystick and wearing special glasses, pain researcher Alexandre DaSilva rotates and slices apart a large, colorful, 3-D brain floating in space before him. [More]

First Edition: April 18, 2013

Today's headlines include reports from Capitol Hill about one Democratic senator's poor reviews of the Obama administration's progress in implementing the health law. [More]

Phenylbutazone in horsemeat detected by Thermo Fisher Scientific test

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, recently mobilized its Food Safety Response Center (FSRC) to develop a method to test for the presence of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone in horsemeat. Phenylbutazone, also known as “bute,” is a potent painkiller banned in any horsemeat intended for human consumption. [More]

Viewpoints: 'Big risks' of buying private insurance with Medicaid dollars; One month of sequestration

The Obama administration and Republican officials in several states are exploring ways to redirect federal money intended to expand Medicaid, the main public insurance program for the poor, and use it instead to buy private health insurance for Medicaid recipients. [More]

Highlights: Minn. Democrats propose cuts to health services; Cost of dental insurance for kids in Md. may rise

A selection of health policy stories from Minnesota, Maryland, Louisiana, Colorado, Nebraska and Florida. [More]
Roundup: Medicaid causes budget headache in Wash. state; Minn. plan to cut health services a surprise; Midwife access issues in N.C.

Roundup: Medicaid causes budget headache in Wash. state; Minn. plan to cut health services a surprise; Midwife access issues in N.C.

A selection of health policy stories from Washington state, Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Arizona, California and Colorado. [More]
First Edition: March 21, 2013

First Edition: March 21, 2013

Today's headlines include various reports about what the public knows -- and doesn't know -- about the health law. [More]
Study reveals treatments for pain at site of injury may not always be good enough

Study reveals treatments for pain at site of injury may not always be good enough

Treatments for pain at the site of an injury may not always be good enough, according to a novel study by University of Maryland (UM) scientists reported March 20 in The Journal of Neuroscience. [More]

Migraine severity may be predicted by blood levels of fat cell hormone

In a small, preliminary study of regular migraine sufferers, scientists have found that measuring a fat-derived protein called adiponectin (ADP) before and after migraine treatment can accurately reveal which headache victims felt pain relief. [More]

New therapeutic approach for bladder pain syndrome

Severe chronic pain associated with conditions such as bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis often require the use of opioid medication, with the risk of dependency and serious adverse reactions. [More]
LASAG trial for severe influenza initiated

LASAG trial for severe influenza initiated

... [More]
Subsidised antimalarial drugs: an interview with Kara Hanson

Subsidised antimalarial drugs: an interview with Kara Hanson

Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) are the currently recommended drugs for treating malaria. However, they are expensive, which limits their affordability. This means that people with malaria are likely to buy cheaper, less effective antimalarials such as chloroquine and sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine; or to simply buy painkillers and antipyretics. [More]
Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) reversal: an interview with Darryle Schoepp, senior vice president and head of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology, Merck Research Laboratories, Merck

Neuromuscular blockade (NMB) reversal: an interview with Darryle Schoepp, senior vice president and head of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology, Merck Research Laboratories, Merck

General anesthesia is made up of three components: hypnotic medicines, to induce sleep; analgesics, or medicines to inhibit pain; and NMB agents that induce muscle relaxation. Anesthesiology professionals use NMB to relax a patient’s muscles and prevent involuntary movement that could impact surgery. [More]

Extended sleep takes the pain out of mild chronic sleep loss

Increased sleep time and reduced sleepiness in mildly sleepy, but otherwise healthy, individuals increases alertness and in turn reduces pain sensitivity, US researchers have found. [More]
NIDA's 2012 Monitoring the Future survey shows rates stable or down for most drugs

NIDA's 2012 Monitoring the Future survey shows rates stable or down for most drugs

Continued high use of marijuana by the nation's eighth, 10th and 12th graders combined with a drop in perceptions of its potential harms was revealed in this year's Monitoring the Future survey, an annual survey of eighth, 10th, and 12th-graders conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan. [More]
Arthritis, rheumatism and total joint arthroplasty: an interview with Dr Ravi and Dr Hawker

Arthritis, rheumatism and total joint arthroplasty: an interview with Dr Ravi and Dr Hawker

Arthritis translates to “joint inflammation.” The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis (OA), which affects 12-15% of North Americans over the age of 60, and will increase in prevalence as our population ages. [More]