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 points to the importance of addressing health-related needs of ex-prisoners

Ex-prisoners with a history of risky drug use, mental illness or poverty are more likely to end up back behind bars. Those who are obese, are chronically ill or have attempted suicide are more likely to remain in the community. These are some of the findings from an exploratory study into health-related factors that could be used to predict whether a person released from prison will end up in custody again.

29 May 2015

Canadian researchers shed light on molecular dynamics of chronic pain

Chronic pain affects hundreds of millions of people worldwide and is a major cause of disability, causing more disability than cancer and heart disease. Canadian researchers, including Michael Salter at SickKids are shedding light on the molecular dynamics of chronic pain. They have uncovered a critical role for a class of cells present in the brain and spinal cord, called microglia, in pain.

27 May 2015

Scientists find new way to convert blood cells into sensory neurons

Scientists at McMaster University have discovered how to make adult sensory neurons from human patients simply by having them roll up their sleeve and providing a blood sample.

22 May 2015

FDA accepts Tris Pharma's Dyanavel XR NDA for review

Tris Pharma, Inc. announced that U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review its New Drug Application ("NDA") for Dyanavel XR (amphetamine) CII, an Extended-Release Oral Suspension.

21 May 2015

Total costs of treatment for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome on the rise

As more infants are born to mothers with dependence on prescription pain medications, the costs of treatment for babies with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) have increased dramatically, suggests a report in the March/April issue of the Journal of Addiction Medicine, the official journal of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

20 May 2015

Twin Cities Orthopedics joins Deterra partnership program to reduce prescription drug abuse and misuse

Verde Technologies announced that Golden Valley-based Twin Cities Orthopedics, the largest orthopedic group in Minnesota, has become its most recent partner in the fight against prescription drug abuse and misuse.

19 May 2015

Fibromyalgia now considered as a lifelong central nervous system disorder

Fibromyalgia is the second most common rheumatic disorder behind osteoarthritis and, though still widely misunderstood, is now considered to be a lifelong central nervous system disorder, which is responsible for amplified pain that shoots through the body in those who suffer from it.

18 May 2015

APS honors recipients of Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards

The American Pain Society today honored the recipients of its annual Clinical Centers of Excellence in Pain Management Awards recognizing the nation's outstanding pain care centers. Five multidisciplinary pain programs were recognized.

15 May 2015

APS announces recipients of prestigious achievement awards during annual scientific meeting

The American Pain Society (APS), www.americanpainsociety.org, today announced the recipients of its prestigious achievement awards during the organization's annual scientific meeting.

14 May 2015

Patients who report 'weekend-only' drug use expand drug use to weekdays too

More than half of patients who report "weekend-only" drug use end up expanding their drug use to weekdays, too -- suggesting that primary care clinicians should monitor patients who acknowledge "recreational" drug use, says a new study by Boston University public health and medicine researchers.

13 May 2015

Orexigen Therapeutics provides update on business and financial results for Q1 2015

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. today announced business and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2015.

8 May 2015

Neonatal abstinence syndrome on the rise in U.S.

The number of infants born in the United States with drug withdrawal symptoms, also known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), nearly doubled in a four-year period. By 2012, one infant was born every 25 minutes in the U.S. with the syndrome, accounting for $1.5 billion in annual health care charges, according to a new Vanderbilt study published in the Journal of Perinatology.

30 Apr 2015

Emergency department-initiated treatment better than referrals for opioid-dependent patients

Yale researchers conducted the first known randomized trial comparing three treatment strategies for opioid-dependent patients receiving emergency care. They found that patients given the medication buprenorphine were more likely to engage in addiction treatment and reduce their illicit opioid use.

29 Apr 2015

Study reveals increasing incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome in U.S.

An increasing number of babies across the country are born addicted to opioids and require intensive care, according to a study analyzing MEDNAX Clinical Data Warehouse statistics from 299 neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) around the United States.

28 Apr 2015

Positive CHMP opinion recommends RELISTOR for treatment of opioid-induced constipation

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc. and Progenics Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency has adopted a positive opinion recommending a new indication for RELISTOR (methylnaltrexone bromide) Subcutaneous Injection for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) when response to laxative therapy has not been sufficient in adult patients, aged 18 years and older.

25 Apr 2015

Early and guideline adherent physical therapy reduces costs, resources in LBP patients

A study in the scientific journal BMC Health Services Research shows that early and guideline adherent physical therapy following an initial episode of acute, nonspecific low back pain (LBP) resulted in substantially lower costs and reduced use of health care resources over a 2-year period.

10 Apr 2015

MOVANTIK (naloxegol) now available in U.S. for treatment of OIC in adult patients with non-cancer pain

Nektar Therapeutics reported that partner AstraZeneca announced today that MOVANTIK (naloxegol) has launched in the United States. On September 16, 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved MOVANTIK as the first once-daily oral peripherally-acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist (PAMORA) medication for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients with chronic, non-cancer pain.

31 Mar 2015

Study provides new estimates of opioid misuse, addiction

New estimates suggest that 20 to 30 percent of opioid analgesic drugs prescribed for chronic pain are misused, while the rate of opioid addiction is approximately 10 percent, reports a study in the April issue of PAIN, the official journal of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

31 Mar 2015

Data demonstrates benefits associated with use of EXPAREL in hip, knee replacement patients

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced data demonstrating the benefits associated with the use of EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) in a study of over 2,200 hip and knee replacement patients.

27 Mar 2015

Mesenchymal stem cell transplantation reduces opioid tolerance, opioid-induced pain

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation reduced opioid tolerance and opioid-induced hyperalgesia caused by daily morphine injections in rats, according to new research.

25 Mar 2015