Opioids News and Research

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An opioid is a chemical that works by binding to opioid receptors, which are found principally in the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract. The receptors in these two organ systems mediate both the beneficial effects and the side effects of opioids.

Study examines public health impact of tamper resistant extended-release oxycodone

This is the first epidemiological study to examine the public health impact of a tamper resistant extended-release oxycodone (ORF). ER oxycodone was reformulated with physicochemical barriers to crushing and dissolving intended to reduce abuse through non-oral routes of administration.

16 Nov 2012

Anesthetic choice may not be critical in noncardiac surgery

The choice of general anesthetic does not appear to influence the risk for myocardial infarction in patients undergoing noncardiac surgery, report researchers.

14 Nov 2012

AcelRx commences dosing in ARX-04 sufentanil NanoTab Phase 2 study for acute and breakthrough pain

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain, today announced that it has dosed the first subjects in a Phase 2, placebo-controlled, dose-finding study of its ARX-04 sufentanil NanoTab product candidate.

5 Nov 2012

TD-1211 may relieve opioid-induced constipation

TD-1211 – an inhibitor of the mµ-opioid receptor – alleviates chronic noncancer-related constipation in patients receiving opioid therapy, without affecting pain relief, show the results of a parallel-group study.

2 Nov 2012

Sedation interruption does not reduce mechanical ventilation duration

Daily sedative interruption of mechanically ventilated patients in intensive care units does not reduce the time they are on ventilation or improve their clinical outcomes, report researchers in JAMA.

29 Oct 2012

Medical practice evolves: Prescribing habits, doc-patient relationship, health law changes

A push to treat chronic pain and financial disincentives for treating addiction may pressure clinicians into prescribing opioids for patients who are already addicted, a researcher suggested.

26 Oct 2012

Medication at end of life indicates care quality

Medication given to patients at the end of life varies according to whether they are being cared for in a hospice or hospital, and has the potential to indicate the quality of their care, suggest researchers.

24 Oct 2012

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

HIV transmission can be reduced by using opioid substitution treatments instead of injection drug use

People who inject drugs (PWID) can significantly reduce their risk of HIV infection with the use of opiate substitution treatments such as methadone, as suggested by an international team of researchers in a paper published today on bmj.com.

5 Oct 2012

New ToxIC study identifies current drug poisoning trends

Nonprescription medications are just as likely a cause of poisoning as prescription drugs, according to a new study by Timothy Wiegand, M.D. from the University of Rochester Medical Center in the US and colleagues.

5 Oct 2012

An expanded role for some nurses?

A federal agency is weighing whether to reimburse a specialized type of nurse for giving chronic-pain treatments, a move opposed by some doctors and one that critics say could complicate the battle against prescription painkiller abuse.

4 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 3, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau reports: "Medicare's new readmission penalties for hospitals just got a bit tougher. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has discovered errors in its initial calculations in August. As a result, 1,422 hospitals with comparatively high readmission rates will lose slightly more money than they were expecting, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the revised penalties. Fifty-five hospitals will lose less than were previously told."

3 Oct 2012

Adjuvants underused initially, follow up needed for cancer patients in pain

Italian study results indicate that physicians underuse adjuvant therapies for treatment of pain in cancer in the first instance, and that close follow up of oncology patients is needed to improve the efficacy of analgesic therapy in this setting.

2 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

Tips on safe use of opioids in hospitals

On August 8, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert on the safe use of opioids in hospitals. The Alert discussed the significance of accurate pain assessment and effective pain management plans.

26 Sep 2012

Chronic respiratory disease treatments: an interview with Dr Sven Jan-Anders Karlsson, CEO of Verona Pharma

There are many different chronic respiratory diseases. Verona Pharma is mainly focused on two diseases: asthma and COPD. Asthma is a very common disease and unfortunately it has been increasing in prevalence in developed countries. This is the same with COPD; however, there may be different reasons for this.

25 Sep 2012

ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation for 16 new centers

The European Society for Medical Oncology has awarded ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation to 16 new oncology centers. The centers will receive the acknowledgment at the ESMO 2012 Congress, in Vienna, Austria, 28 September - 2 October.

24 Sep 2012

FDA Division of Neurology Products, CoLucid reach agreement for lasmiditan development strategy

CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, has reached agreement with the Food and Drug Administration's Division of Neurology Products concerning the development strategy for lasmiditan at a recently completed End of Phase 2 meeting.

19 Sep 2012

Positive data from Nektar’s NKTR-192 Phase 1a study on acute pain

Nektar Therapeutics announced today that positive data from the first single-ascending dose Phase 1a clinical study of NKTR-192, the company's novel short-acting mu-opioid analgesic candidate, demonstrate that the drug candidate achieved its target pharmacokinetic profile.