Addiction News and Research

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Viewpoints: An 'easy' SCOTUS case?; Is painkiller addiction really an epidemic?

Nothing in the Supreme Court arguments in the health care case last week, or in the subsequent commentary, has changed my opinion that this is an easy case. It's the court that made it look hard (Linda Greenhouse, 4/4).

7 Apr 2012

AP: Prescription painkiller sales have 'exploded,' leading experts to fear 'addiction epidemic'

Sales of the nation's two most popular prescription painkillers have exploded in new parts of the country, an Associated Press analysis shows, worrying experts who say the push to relieve patients' suffering is spawning an addiction epidemic.

6 Apr 2012

Purdue Pharma launches Intermezzo for middle-of-the-night insomnia

Purdue Pharma L.P. announced today that Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate) sublingual tablet CIV is now available in 1.75 mg and 3.5 mg dosage strengths by prescription in retail pharmacies nationwide.

6 Apr 2012

Some smokers quit smoking on first try while others have to quit repeatedly

Some people quit smoking on the first try while others have to quit repeatedly. Using such mobile technology as hand-held computers and smartphones, a team of researchers from Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh is trying to find out why.

5 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 5, 2012

In today's headlines, reports about how the budget debate is mixing into presidential poiltics.

5 Apr 2012

NIDA to showcase PEERx teen initiative at National RX Drug Abuse Summit

A unique, new campaign targeting teens will be on exhibit at the first national summit addressing the prescription drug abuse epidemic. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) will showcase "PEERx," a NIDA initiative that uses interactive videos and other tools to educate teens about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and help them to spread the word.

4 Apr 2012

Brains of people with anorexia and obesity are wired differently

The brains of people with anorexia and obesity are wired differently, according to new research. Neuroscientists for the first time have found that how our brains respond to food differs across a spectrum of eating behaviors - from extreme overeating to food deprivation.

4 Apr 2012

NIDA awards $1.4M grant to aid development of formal addiction medicine training programs

Boston Medical Center physician Jeffrey Samet, MD, chief, section of general internal medicine, in collaboration with Co-Principal Investigator, Patrick O'Connor, MD, chief section of general internal medicine at Yale School of Medicine, were awarded a five-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institute On Drug Abuse to aid the development of formal addiction medicine training programs.

3 Apr 2012

TLR4/MD-2 protein complex triggers morphine-induced inflammation

A University of Colorado Boulder-led research team has discovered that two protein receptors in the central nervous system team up to respond to morphine and cause unwanted neuroinflammation, a finding with implications for improving the efficacy of the widely used painkiller while decreasing its abuse potential.

3 Apr 2012

Health reform means ER use jumps in Colo.; Calif. insurance premiums rise; Ore. waits to see who wants in on coordinated care

Even people who just got health insurance use the emergency departments to access their care, according to a new study by University of Colorado School of Medicine researchers. It's not just people who lost insurance or people living long without it, the researchers note -- any change in health insurance status, whether positive or negative, tends to send people to the ER because they don't know where else to go.

3 Apr 2012

Nektar commences dosing in NKTR-192 Phase 1 clinical study for treatment of acute pain

Nektar Therapeutics announced today that the first subjects were dosed last week in a Phase 1 clinical study to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and safety of NKTR-192, the company's novel short-acting mu-opioid analgesic candidate.

2 Apr 2012

FDA releases two draft guidance documents to help fight tobacco epidemic

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released two separate draft guidance documents to help fight the tobacco epidemic and stop children from using tobacco. The draft guidance documents implement provisions of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act that will ultimately provide the public with previously unknown information about the chemicals in tobacco products and help prevent misleading marketing about the risks associated with tobacco products.

31 Mar 2012

New strategy to ensure that GPs advise heavy drinkers to cut down

The new UK alcohol strategy includes a plan to ensure that General Practitioners (GPs) advise heavy drinkers to cut down.

29 Mar 2012

Scientists explore number of strategies to prevent anesthesia-induced injury in infants

Recent clinical studies have shown that general anesthesia can be harmful to infants, presenting a dilemma for both doctors and parents. But new research at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center may point the way to treatment options that protect very young children against the adverse effects of anesthesia.

29 Mar 2012

Online gambling may increase risk of alcohol and cannabis use

With the click of a mouse or touch of a mobile phone screen - in pyjamas or jeans - gambling is now at our fingertips 24/7 with Internet play. With this increased access to gambling, are online gamblers more prone to risky behaviours than offline gamblers?

28 Mar 2012

Nanoscale sensor can conduct individual DNA sequencing

Researchers have devised a nanoscale sensor to electronically read the sequence of a single DNA molecule, a technique that is fast and inexpensive and could make DNA sequencing widely available.

27 Mar 2012

DBS allows surgeons to control tremors with brain 'pacemaker'

For nearly 30 years, Tom Rogers' left hand would shake when he tried to use it, making even simple tasks such as drinking a glass of water, writing a check, or making a sandwich challenging. The tremor eventually became so disruptive that he lost use of his dominant hand. Rogers sought care and learned that his tremor was a symptom of Parkinson's disease, yet felt he was suffering from something different.

27 Mar 2012

Additional help does not improve success rates for smokers trying to quit

A major research trial to test whether extra support for smokers calling an NHS quitline - on top of what is already offered by the service - has found the additional help does not improve success rates for quitting the habit.

26 Mar 2012

FMBFarma granted exclusive rights to market Ampio's Zertane for PE in Brazil

Ampio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company that discovers and develops new uses for previously approved drugs and new molecular entities, and FBM Industria Farmaceutica Ltda, a member of the HOSPFAR Group that manufactures, imports and distributes pharmaceuticals in Brazil, today announced a license and distribution agreement providing FMBFarma exclusive rights to market Zertane in Brazil for the treatment of premature ejaculation.

22 Mar 2012

Scientists reveal first-ever glimpse of complete kappa opioid receptor structure

At the molecular level, drugs like salvinorin A (the active ingredient of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum) work by activating specific proteins, known as receptors, in the brain and body.

22 Mar 2012