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Opioids offer limited short-term relief for acute pain

The world's largest review of opioid pain relievers prescribed for acute pain found these medicines provide only small, short-term relief for some acute conditions and are ineffective for some others.

25 Feb 2026

As more Americans embrace anxiety treatment, MAHA derides medications

After a grueling year of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation to treat breast cancer, Sadia Zapp was anxious — not the manageable hum that had long been part of her life, but something deeper, more distracting.

23 Feb 2026

Tropical cyclones linked to rise in drug-related deaths months after landfall

Tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and tropical storms, are linked to increased rates of drug-related deaths up to three months after the storm passes-particularly in higher-income, White communities and among younger populations.

20 Feb 2026

Researchers find leading causes of death among pregnant and postpartum women

Researchers at Columbia University have found that accidental drug overdose, homicide, and suicide are the leading causes of death among pregnant and postpartum women.

12 Feb 2026

Discontinuing antidepressants during pregnancy raises psychiatric risks

Pregnant patients who stopped taking their antidepressant medication during pregnancy were almost twice as likely to experience a mental health emergency compared with pregnant patients who continued taking their prescription, according to new research presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) 2026 Pregnancy Meeting.

11 Feb 2026

Addiction consults improve care for drug-related eye infections

Eric Gaier, MD, PhD, and Dean Eliott, MD, of the Department of Ophthalmology at Mass Eye and Ear, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, are co-authors of a paper published in Ophthalmology Retina, "Substance Use Disorder Interventions and Ophthalmic Outcomes for Injection Drug Use-Associated Endogenous Endophthalmitis."

10 Feb 2026

Cannabis legalization may lead to a decline in daily opioid use

Legalizing cannabis for both medical and recreational use may lead to a decline in daily opioid use among people who inject drugs in the United States, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher (BUSPH).

9 Feb 2026

Research sheds light on the UK's growing synthetic opioid problem

Deaths due to synthetic opioids nitazenes have likely been underestimated by up to a third.

9 Feb 2026

Smartwatch data may help detect opioid misuse risk

Opioid overdoses continue to take a devastating toll across the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2023, the nation recorded roughly 105,000 drug overdose deaths overall, with nearly 80,000 deaths involving opioids.

5 Feb 2026

MET signaling plays a critical protective role in acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure

A new study has found that MET (hepatocyte growth factor receptor) signaling plays a critical protective role in acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure (ALF).

2 Feb 2026

Shifting blame: Public opinion on opioid crisis responsibility divides along political lines

Approximately 88% of adults view opioid overdose deaths as a very serious problem with high agreement across political groups, according to a national survey conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine researchers.

16 Jan 2026

Native Americans are dying from pregnancy. They want a voice to stop the trend.

Just hours after Rhonda Swaney left a prenatal appointment for her first pregnancy, she felt severe pain in her stomach and started vomiting.

15 Jan 2026

Bradycardia emerges as key clinical sign of xylazine-opioid overdose

Researchers have identified bradycardia-an abnormally low heart rate–as a symptom of xylazine-opioid overdose.

14 Jan 2026

More surgical patients on opioid use disorder treatment demand updated pain care

As more Americans receive treatment for opioid use disorder, that progress is increasingly showing up in the operating room, creating an urgent need to modernize how pain is managed during and after major surgery, according to a study in the February 2026 issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed medical journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

13 Jan 2026

What the Health? from KFF Health News: New Year, same health fight

Congress returned from its holiday break to the same question it faced in December: whether to extend covid-era premium subsidies for health plans sold under the Affordable Care Act.

8 Jan 2026

In Lodge Grass, Montana, a Crow community works to rebuild from meth’s destruction

Brothers Lonny and Teyon Fritzler walked amid the tall grass and cottonwood trees surrounding their boarded-up childhood home near the Little Bighorn River and daydreamed about ways to rebuild.

8 Jan 2026

Study: Extended MOUD treatment significantly increases survival probability

A new study of over 32,000 US Veterans has found that the longer people stay on medications for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone, or extended-release naltrexone), the greater the probability of short- and medium-term survival. This benefit continues to increase at least for four years of ongoing treatment, considerably longer than most patients currently stay in treatment.

8 Jan 2026

Gene therapy breakthrough could provide hope for millions living with chronic pain

A preclinical study uncovered a new gene therapy that targets pain centers in the brain while eliminating the risk of addiction from narcotics treatments, a breakthrough which could provide hope for the more than 50 million Americans living with chronic pain.

7 Jan 2026

After outpatient cosmetic surgery, they wound up in the hospital or alone at a recovery house

Lisa Farris worried that a nasty infection from recent liposuction and a tummy tuck was rapidly getting worse. So she phoned the cosmetic surgery center to ask if she should head to the emergency room, she alleges in a lawsuit.

23 Dec 2025

Washington’s homeless hide in plain sight, growing sicker and costing taxpayers more

Every night, Abdullah Ibrahim retreats from the streets into a wooded stretch along the Potomac River.

18 Dec 2025

Overdose News and Research

Opioids offer limited short-term relief for acute pain

As more Americans embrace anxiety treatment, MAHA derides medications

Tropical cyclones linked to rise in drug-related deaths months after landfall

Researchers find leading causes of death among pregnant and postpartum women

Discontinuing antidepressants during pregnancy raises psychiatric risks

Addiction consults improve care for drug-related eye infections

Cannabis legalization may lead to a decline in daily opioid use

Research sheds light on the UK's growing synthetic opioid problem

Smartwatch data may help detect opioid misuse risk

MET signaling plays a critical protective role in acetaminophen-induced acute liver failure

Shifting blame: Public opinion on opioid crisis responsibility divides along political lines

Native Americans are dying from pregnancy. They want a voice to stop the trend.

Bradycardia emerges as key clinical sign of xylazine-opioid overdose

More surgical patients on opioid use disorder treatment demand updated pain care

What the Health? from KFF Health News: New Year, same health fight

In Lodge Grass, Montana, a Crow community works to rebuild from meth’s destruction

Study: Extended MOUD treatment significantly increases survival probability

Gene therapy breakthrough could provide hope for millions living with chronic pain

After outpatient cosmetic surgery, they wound up in the hospital or alone at a recovery house

Washington’s homeless hide in plain sight, growing sicker and costing taxpayers more

How ELRIG Is Helping Mid-Career Scientists Navigate Leadership, Career Change and Redundancy

The role of UV-Vis in biopharma QC

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