Pain Management News and Research

RSS

Generic biologic drugs appear to be as effective as brand-name versions

Generic forms of a biologic drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis appear to be as safe and effective as their brand-name counterparts, a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health analysis suggests.

2 Aug 2016

Majority of American adults use prescription drugs inappropriately and dangerously

The majority of American adults taking opioids and other commonly prescribed medications use them in ways that put their health at risk, including potentially dangerous combinations with other drugs, according to a new study from Quest Diagnostics, the world’s leading provider of diagnostic information services.

From Quest Diagnostics 29 Jul 2016

New non-drug approach may help manage pain in individuals receiving addiction treatment

It's a Catch-22 with potentially deadly consequences: People trying to overcome addiction can't get treatment for their pain, because the most powerful pain medicines also carry an addiction risk.

27 Jul 2016

Policies restricting opioid prescriptions could harm pain patients, suggests review

A recent review and analysis suggests that some policies restricting opioid prescriptions to curb overdose deaths could be harming those who need them the most: pain patients.

13 Jul 2016

Scientists develop new online open-access data tool to improve drug safety

A new online open-access database has been developed by scientists to allow the clinical responses of more than 5 million patients to all FDA-approved drugs to be used to identify unexpected clinical harm, benefits and alternative treatment choices for individual patients, according to a study appearing July 8 in Nature Biotechnology.

10 Jul 2016

Opioid funding bill should address greater access to balanced pain management

The Alliance for Balanced Pain Management (AfBPM) made the following statement on the Obama administration’s plan to curb the opioid addiction crisis, which was released this morning as Congress prepares to tackle funding for related programs.

8 Jul 2016

AANA clarifies truth behind VA's proposed rule

There is a lot of press coverage about the VA proposed rule to allow advanced practice registered nurses, including Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists, to practice to the full scope of their education, training, and licensure in the Veterans Health Administration.

7 Jul 2016

Study reveals high healthcare costs for chronic pain patients in Canada

Costs of patients who develop chronic post-surgical pain could range from $2.5 million to $4.1 million a year, in one Ontario hospital alone, according to a study in Pain Management.

6 Jul 2016

Research finds significant increase in use of chiropractic services among veterans

The use of chiropractic services in the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system has seen a steep rise over more than a decade, according to research published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, the official scientific journal of the American Chiropractic Association.

25 Jun 2016

IU researchers identify suite of genes that play role in nerve sensitivity

Indiana University researchers have that found a suite of genes in both fruit flies and humans -- including one dubbed "smoke alarm" -- plays a role in nerve sensitivity. The study could help lead to new drug targets in pain management.

24 Jun 2016

Marketing authorisation for Penthrox handheld inhaler issued in France

Mundipharma International Limited today announced that Penthrox has been granted marketing authorisation in France for the emergency relief of moderate to severe pain in conscious adult patients with trauma and associated pain.

22 Jun 2016

Single, short duration exposure of general anesthesia appears to cause no cognitive harm in healthy, young children

A recent study concluded that very young, healthy children undergoing short surgical procedures requiring a single exposure to general anesthesia did not exhibit any effect on the cognitive outcomes tested, according to SmartTots, a public-private partnership of the International Anesthesia Research Society and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

21 Jun 2016

Opioid use common among Medicare beneficiaries after hospital discharge

Nearly 15 percent of opioid-naïve patients hospitalized under Medicare are discharged with a new prescription for opioids, according to a study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine.

15 Jun 2016

Study identifies persistent opioid use in some patients after knee or hip replacement

Many patients undergoing hip or knee replacement are still taking prescription opioid pain medications up to six months after surgery, reports a study in PAIN, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

1 Jun 2016

Inadequate monitoring places post-operative patients at risk for opioid-induced respiratory depression

Nearly 75 percent of hospitalized patients receiving opioids for pain management are not monitored according to hospital guidelines.

28 May 2016

Pharmacist suggests education as foremost strategy to control opioid abuse

Technologies that make it harder for people to abuse opioids - like doctoring pills so that they produce unpleasant side effects if broken, crushed or injected -- likely will have limited effectiveness in stemming the global epidemic of opioid abuse, according to Adam Kaye, a professor of pharmacy at University of the Pacific.

28 May 2016

New study aims to identify biomarkers linked to cartilage degradation in OA patients

Joint injury can lead to post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). In fact, about half of all people who rupture the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in their knee will develop PTOA within 10-20 years of the injury.

20 May 2016

Better self-care and patient education can improve treatment for chronic pain

The National Pain Strategy, released this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, places strong emphasis on self management and patient education as critical pathways for improving treatment of chronic pain, especially the leading malady, back pain.

15 May 2016

Promising specialty medical home approach to patient-centered, cost-effective care for IBD patients

A specialty medical home--providing expert medical care coordinated with attention to social support and mental health--is a promising new approach to patient-centered, cost-effective care for patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, according to a special "Future Directions" paper in the May issue of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, official journal of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

5 May 2016

Proliposomal ropivacaine may offer valuable new option for pain relief

A new "proliposomal" preparation of the local anesthetic drug ropivacaine may provide a valuable new option for pain relief in some clinical situations, with key advantages over other types of slow-release local anesthetics, suggest a pair of reports in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

15 Apr 2016