Analgesia News and Research

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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

High concentrations of inhaled oxygen during and after cancer surgery may increase risk of death

Patients given high concentrations of inhaled oxygen during and after cancer surgery may be at higher long-term risk of death, according to a report in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

26 Sep 2012

Resveratrol can maintain morphine’s pain-relieving effects

Resveratrol—the same natural polyphenol found in red wine—preserves the potent pain-relieving effect of morphine in rats that have developed morphine tolerance, suggests a study in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

26 Sep 2012

Orexin-A hormone also affects emergence after anesthesia

A neuropeptide hormone called orexin-A—which plays an important role in regulating the normal sleep-wake cycle—also affects emergence (waking up) after anesthesia, reports an experimental study in the October issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

26 Sep 2012

Inhaled pain relief effective in first labor stage

A Cochrane review shows that inhaled pain relief is more effective than no pain relief at all in reducing pain intensity during the first stage of labor, say researchers.

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.

19 Sep 2012

Inhaled analgesia appears to be effective in reducing pain intensity in first stage of labour

Inhaled pain relief appears to be effective in reducing pain intensity and in giving pain relief in the first stage of labour, say Cochrane researchers.

12 Sep 2012

NIH funded researchers identify and explore different aspects of anesthesia

Anesthesia helps many of us during our lives, whether we need a local painkiller at the dentist, numbing eye drops for laser vision correction or general anesthesia for major surgery. But even though anesthetics have been used in many procedures for more than 150 years, doctors and scientists still don't know exactly how these medicines work in the body.

5 Sep 2012

Data from ESTEVE’s S1RA E-52862 Phase I trial programme on pain

ESTEVE announces the recent publication of data from the Phase I clinical trial programme of a novel, highly potent and selective, once-daily, S1RA E-52862, developed by the ESTEVE R&D team, in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

4 Sep 2012

Non-pain-related factors predict long-term opioid use after surgery

Non-pain-related factors—including previous use of pain medications, high perceived risk of addiction, and symptoms of depression—increase the risk of continuing to use strong pain-relieving drugs several months after surgery, reports a study in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

31 Aug 2012

Mallinckrodt receives FDA approval for 32 mg tablet strength of EXALGO

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified Mallinckrodt, the pharmaceuticals business of Covidien, that it has approved a 32 mg tablet strength of EXALGO (hydromorphone HCI) Extended-Release Tablets (CII) for opioid-tolerant patients with moderate-to-severe chronic pain requiring continuous around-the-clock opioid analgesia for an extended period of time.

27 Aug 2012

FDA approves Mallinckrodt's EXALGO (32 mg) sNDA to manage opioid-related pain

Zalicus Inc., a biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel treatments for patients suffering from pain and immuno-inflammatory diseases, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental new drug application (sNDA) filed by Mallinckrodt Inc., a subsidiary of Covidien plc, for the 32 mg dose strength of EXALGO (hydromorphone HCl) Extended-Release Tablets (CII), for the management of moderate to severe pain in opioid-tolerant patients requiring continuous, around-the-clock opioid analgesia for an extended period of time.

27 Aug 2012

AcelRx commences third ARX-01 Phase 3 study in post-operative 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 dosing of the first patient in the third of three planned Phase 3 studies for ARX-01, the Sufentanil NanoTab PCA System, its novel sublingual patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) system.

24 Aug 2012

Pain intensity not only predictor for hysterectomy

Presurgical and surgical factors, and postsurgical pain intensity, should be taken into account when providing rescue analgesia to women after hysterectomy, researchers say.

22 Aug 2012

U.S. FDA warns of post-surgery codeine deaths in children

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued a Drug Safety Communication concerning three children who died and one child who experienced a non-fatal but life-threatening case of respiratory depression after taking the pain reliever codeine following surgery to remove tonsils (tonsillectomy) and/or adenoids (adenoidectomy).

16 Aug 2012

Tranexamic acid reduces bleeding in off-pump coronary bypass surgery

Patients undergoing off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting who are given a tranexamic acid infusion show a modest reduction in postoperative bleeding and blood transfusion relative to their placebo-treated peers, a clinical trial shows.

15 Aug 2012

Pathway describes how alpha hydroxyl acids cause skin exfoliation

A team of investigators from UC Davis and Peking University have discovered a mechanism that may explain how alpha hydroxyl acids (AHAs) -- the key ingredient in cosmetic chemical peels and wrinkle-reducing creams -- work to enhance skin appearance. An understanding of the underlying process may lead to better cosmetic formulations as well as have medical applications.

14 Aug 2012

Two-drug combination helps combat cocaine addiction

A combination of two existing pharmaceutical drugs may soon be used to treat cocaine addiction, findings from an animal study in Science Translational Medicine suggest.

10 Aug 2012

Takeda, Sucampo file AMITIZA sNDA with FDA for treatment of opioid-induced constipation

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. Inc. today announced the filing of a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seeking approval for a new indication for AMITIZA (lubiprostone) for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in patients with chronic, non-cancer pain.

26 Jul 2012

Fever in laboring women not associated with epidural analgesia

A study from the August issue of Anesthesiology provides evidence contrary to prior reports that fever in laboring women is associated with epidural analgesia.

26 Jul 2012