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.

Autism Speaks announces 47 new ASD research grants

Autism Speaks, the world's largest autism science and advocacy organization, today announced the awarding of 47 new research grants totaling $13,242,279 in funding over the next three years.

22 Dec 2011

Actavis enters LOI with QRxPharma to commercialize MoxDuo IR in the U.S.

Actavis Group, the international generic pharmaceuticals company, today announced that its US subsidiary, Actavis Inc, has entered into a binding letter of intent (LOI) with QRxPharma Limited to commercialize MoxDuo IR in the United States.

21 Dec 2011

Diseases of the Colon & Rectum publishes results from Pacira's EXPAREL Phase 3 trial

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the publication of data from a placebo-controlled, pivotal Phase 3 trial of EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), a non-opioid local analgesic that was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for administration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia.

19 Dec 2011

Positive data from Nektar's NKTR-181 Phase 1 clinical study for chronic pain

Nektar Therapeutics today announced positive data from a Phase 1 clinical study of NKTR-181 evaluating multiple ascending oral doses of NKTR-181 over an 8-day treatment period in healthy subjects.

14 Dec 2011

Individuals with mood and anxiety disorders may be more likely to abuse opioids

Individuals suffering from mood and anxiety disorders such as bipolar, panic disorder and major depressive disorder may be more likely to abuse opioids, according to a new study led by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. They found that mood and anxiety disorders are highly associated with non-medical prescription opioid use.

14 Dec 2011

Drug users with HIV infection have 74% higher risk of overdose

A study from Rhode Island Hospital is the first to systematically review and analyze the literature on the association between HIV infection and overdose risk.

13 Dec 2011

Study may help personalize pain medication management for sickle cell disease patients

A study that may help personalize pain medication management for sickle cell disease patients is underway at Georgia Health Sciences University.

9 Dec 2011

Medical websites provide harmful information about postherpetic neuralgia treatments

Health information is plentiful on the Internet and many Web surfers consider medical advice they find online to be a cheaper alternative to visiting a doctor, according to some studies. However, the risk of obtaining useless or even harmful medical information from some websites is high for patients with postherpetic neuralgia, a common complication of shingles, according to new research reported in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society.

1 Dec 2011

Dramatic nationwide rise in opioid use for chronic abdominal pain

Across U.S. outpatient clinics between 1997 and 2008, opioid prescriptions for chronic abdominal pain more than doubled, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

30 Nov 2011

Combination of other opioids with methadone therapy can lead to overdose or fatal consequences

A new study has shown harmful prescription patterns of powerful painkillers among a substantial number of Ontario patients who received methadone therapy to treat their opioid addiction.

29 Nov 2011

Naltrexone for problem gamblers

According to new practice guidelines Australian doctors treating gambling addicts now can consider prescribing an anti-heroin drug, naltrexone, to help problem gamblers control their impulses. Australia has one of the world’s highest rates of problem gamblers, with about 2.1 per cent of Australians experiencing some form of gambling problem.

22 Nov 2011

Convergence commences CNV2197944 multiple ascending dose Phase I study for chronic pain

Convergence Pharmaceuticals Limited, the company focused on the development of novel and high value analgesic medicines, today announces that the multiple ascending dose Phase I study of the novel, first in class calcium channel blocker CNV2197944, for the treatment of chronic pain has been initiated.

21 Nov 2011

Viewpoints: Questions of partisanship and timing could complicate Supreme Court's decision on health law

The Supreme Court's decision to review the constitutionality of health care reform means it will be issuing a ruling in the middle of the 2012 presidential campaign. This can be a highly politicized court, and, for the public good and its own credibility, it must resist that impulse.

16 Nov 2011

Researchers explore how design of chronic and acute pain trials might be improved

For chronic pain sufferers, a day can feel like a year and a year can feel like an eternity. With very few truly new therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for this condition since 2005, the outlook is far from bright.

15 Nov 2011

Opioid-dependent patients have worse outcomes before knee replacement surgery

Patients who are dependent on opioids (narcotic pain relievers) for pain management before knee replacement surgery have much more difficulty recovering, a study recently published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS) has found.

13 Nov 2011

Positive results from Alkermes VIVITROL addiction study

Alkermes plc today presented positive results from a long-term study of VIVITROL (naltrexone for extended-release injectable suspension) at the 24th Annual U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in Las Vegas, NV.

10 Nov 2011

APS supports CDC's call for multifaceted approach to address prescription drug misuse

As reported by the U.S Centers for Disease Control, some 15,000 deaths occurred in the U.S. in 2008 from overdoses of prescription pain medications, and demand for treatment of prescription opioid addiction increased almost six fold between 1999 and 2009.

10 Nov 2011

NIH announces results from first large scale study on treatment of prescription opioid addiction

People addicted to prescription painkillers reduce their opioid abuse when given sustained treatment with the medication buprenorphine plus naloxone (Suboxone), according to research published in yesterday's Archives of General Psychiatry and conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

9 Nov 2011

QRxPharma receives FDA written acceptance for review of MoxDuo IR NDA

QRxPharma Limited announced today it received written acceptance from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for review of the MoxDuo IR New Drug Application (NDA) filed earlier this year.