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.

Perioperative analgesia may improve prostate cancer outcomes

Neuraxial analgesia added to general anesthesia for radical retropubic prostatectomy may lead to improved oncologic outcomes in prostate cancer, US researchers have found.

6 Jan 2014

Opioid receptor-triggered spinal mTORC1 activation contributes to morphine tolerance, hyperalgesia

Currently, opioids are the standard treatment for chronic pain. Patients on opioids for long periods of time become desensitized to these drugs or become paradoxically hypersensitive to pain (hyperalgesia); however, the adaptive mechanisms are not well understood.

3 Jan 2014

Research examines link between opioid suppression of immune system and cancer recurrence

18 Dec 2013

Research finds link between opioid-sparing technique and reduced progression of prostate cancer

The methods used to anesthetize prostate cancer patients and control pain when their prostate glands are surgically removed for adenocarcinoma may affect their long-term cancer outcomes, a study led by Mayo Clinic has found. Opioids, painkillers commonly given during and after surgery, may suppress the immune system's ability to fight cancer cells.

17 Dec 2013

Study reveals nearly 1 in every 100 anesthesiologist developed substance use disorder during training

According to a study conducted by Mayo Clinic and the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA), nearly 1 in every 100 anesthesiology residents entering primary training from 1975 to 2009 developed substance use disorder (SUD) during training.

5 Dec 2013

Scientists investigate factors that influence choice of abused drugs

Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic levels in the past 15 years. Scientists investigating why people favor one drug over another have found that oxycodone and hydrocodone are the drugs of choice for 75% of opioid-dependent individuals.

3 Dec 2013

FDA accepts Purdue Pharma's Targiniq ER Tablets CII NDA for review

Purdue Pharma L.P. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has accepted for review a New Drug Application for Targiniq ER (oxycodone HCl/naloxone HCl controlled-release) Tablets CII, for the management of chronic pain.

27 Nov 2013

QRxPharma refiles MOXDUO New Drug Application with US FDA

QRxPharma Limited announced today that the Company resubmitted its MOXDUO New Drug Application. At a meeting in early October, the United States Food and Drug Administration provided QRxPharma with guidance on its requirements for the NDA refiling as well as data validation documentation.

26 Nov 2013

Brain signals in fibromyalgia patients: an interview with Dr. Marco Loggia from Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston

Fibromyalgia patients suffer from a variety of symptoms, including widespread body pain and myofascial tenderness. They are ‘hyperalgesic’, which means that if you give them a stimulus that in healthy subjects is just mildly painful (or even completely innocuous), they may perceive it as excruciatingly painful.

19 Nov 2013

Over 50% of nonsurgical patients prescribed opioids during hospitalizations, analysis finds

Amid a growing climate of concern regarding the overuse of opioid pain medications, a comprehensive analysis of more than 1 million hospital admissions has found that over 50 percent of all nonsurgical patients were prescribed opioids during their hospitalizations -- often at very high doses -- and that more than half of those exposed were still receiving these medications on the day they were discharged from the hospital.

14 Nov 2013

Teen athletes more likely to misuse opioids medications

Teen athletes derive many positive benefits from participating in sports, but their increased risk of sports-related injuries may also heighten their risk for medication misuse and abuse, especially for boys, finds a recent study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

13 Nov 2013

People suffering from chronic pain, emotional distress likely to receive long-term opioid therapy

People suffering from chronic non-cancer pain and severe emotional distress, such as depression, anxiety and substance use, are likely to receive long-term opioid therapy despite a lack of evidence that this treatment helps, reports a new review in General Hospital Psychiatry.

13 Nov 2013

Access to health care increases prescription opioid abuse

Researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis say one way to gauge the extent of prescription opioid pain reliever abuse in any Indiana county is to count the number of health care providers, particularly dentists and pharmacists.

5 Nov 2013

Disruption of brain signals contributes to increased pain sensitivity in fibromyalgia patients

New research indicates that a disruption of brain signals for reward and punishment contributes to increased pain sensitivity, known as hyperalgesia, in fibromyalgia patients. Results published in Arthritis & Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology, suggest that this altered brain processing might contribute to widespread pain and lack of response to opioid therapy in patients with fibromyalgia.

5 Nov 2013

FDA approves Prior Approval Supplement for EMBEDA Extended Release Capsules CII

Pfizer Inc. announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a Prior Approval Supplement for EMBEDA (morphine sulfate and naltrexone hydrochloride) Extended Release Capsules CII.

4 Nov 2013

New study reveals striking data about misuse of painkillers and sedatives by teens, young adults

With prescription drug abuse at epidemic levels nationwide, and overdoses killing more people than auto accidents in many states, a new University of Michigan study provides striking new data about the misuse of potent prescription painkillers and sedatives by teens and young adults.

30 Oct 2013

FDA approves Cubist Pharmaceuticals' sNDA for ENTEREG

Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the approval of its supplemental new drug application (sNDA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for ENTEREG (alvimopan).

21 Oct 2013

New recovery program for abdominal surgery patients improves recovery process

A new recovery program for abdominal surgery patients at University of Virginia Health System is helping patients go home sooner while making them more comfortable both before and after surgery.

18 Oct 2013

Breast cancer patients receiving nerve block with general anesthesia have less cancer recurrence

Breast cancer patients who received the combination of a nerve block with general anesthesia for their breast cancer surgery had less cancer recurrence and were three times less likely to die than those who received only general anesthesia, according to a study presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2013 annual meeting.

16 Oct 2013

AstraZeneca announces Phase III study results of naloxegol in patients with non-cancer pain

AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN) today announced the results of a Phase III long-term safety and tolerability study of the once-daily 25mg dose of naloxegol, in patients with non-cancer pain and opioid-induced constipation (OIC).

15 Oct 2013