Opioids News and Research

RSS

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.

ASA launches Opioid Overdose Resuscitation card to help people who abuse prescription drugs

In response to the prescription drug abuse epidemic in the United States, the American Society of Anesthesiologists is collaborating with the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to respond to the problem, educate the public and advance programs to help those who misuse and abuse prescription drugs.

14 Oct 2013

Natural painkiller system in the brain responds to social rejection

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," goes the playground rhyme that's supposed to help children endure taunts from classmates. But a new study suggests that there's more going on inside our brains when someone snubs us - and that the brain may have its own way of easing social pain.

11 Oct 2013

Physicians raise concerns about prescription drug abuse across Pennsylvania

Across Pennsylvania physicians have raised concerns about growing problems with prescription drug abuse.

10 Oct 2013

New combinations of postoperative pain treatment decreased both pain and use of pain relievers

New combinations of postoperative pain treatment decreased both pain and the use of narcotic pain relievers according to two studies presented this week at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.

9 Oct 2013

Binge eating disorder is different from anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

Food addiction is not yet recognised as a mental disorder but certain obese individuals clearly display addictive-like behaviour towards food.

9 Oct 2013

MNK-795 for acute pain management: an interview with Dr Lynn Webster

MNK-795 is a product in development that is intended to be used for acute pain. It has some unique properties. First, it is an extended release formulation, meaning that it’s going to last more than three to four hours. It was studied to be dosed once every 12 hours, and that is unique for an acute pain formulation.

8 Oct 2013

Study assess use of prescription painkillers for chronic pain among patients pre- and post-obesity surgery

Chronic use of prescription painkillers, also known as opioids, among obese patients prior to bariatric surgery continues after surgery, according to a new Kaiser Permanente study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

2 Oct 2013

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals submits Zalviso NDA to FDA

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 that it submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Zalviso (sufentanil sublingual microtablet system).

30 Sep 2013

Research roundup: Managed care for dementia patients; bundled payments after the hospital; disparities among Medicare beneficiaries

Dementia is a leading cause of death in the United States; however, patients dying with this disease may not receive optimal end-of-life care. ... many of these [nursing home] residents commonly experience burdensome and costly interventions, such as hospital transfers, tube-feeding, and intravenous antibiotics. ... Nursing home reimbursement policies are among the factors that incentivize more aggressive care. ... This study linked unique prospective clinical data with Medicare claims to describe and compare patterns of care between nursing home residents with advanced dementia enrolled in a Medicare managed-care insurance plan and those with fee-for-service Medicare.

30 Sep 2013

Drug use associated with increased risk of fatal crash involvement

Drugged driving has been a safety issue of increasing public concern in the United States and many other countries but its role in motor vehicle crashes had not been adequately examined. In a new study conducted at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, researchers assessed the association of driver drug use, as well as the combination of drugs and alcohol, with the risk of fatal crash.

26 Sep 2013

Frequency of marijuana use not linked to health services utilization or health status

Researchers from Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine have found frequency of marijuana use was not significantly associated with health services utilization or health status. These findings currently appear online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

24 Sep 2013

Preoperative auto-titrated CPAP treatment benefits patients with OSA after surgery

An estimated 80 percent of patients who have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) go undiagnosed, including Deanna G. McNeil, a 72-year-old nurse from Toronto. Before hip replacement surgery in 2010, Deanna completed the STOP-Bang questionnaire, created by Frances Chung, M.B.B.S., professor, Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, Ontario. Based on the questionnaire, Deanna was suspected to have OSA.

19 Sep 2013

AAPM commends FDA’s move to introduce labeling changes on ER/LA opioids

The physicians of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) hailed long-awaited labeling changes and other steps taken by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) last week to enhance safety in the prescribing of extended-release and long-acting (ER/LA) opioids.

18 Sep 2013

Relmada Therapeutics collaborates with the Malvern Consulting Group

Relmada Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage company developing novel therapies for the treatment of chronic pain, today announced that has signed a collaboration agreement with the Malvern Consulting Group as clinical and regulatory advisor.

16 Sep 2013

Study: Opioid prescribing for non-cancer pain increases

Prescribing of strong opioid medications for non-cancer pain in the United States has nearly doubled over the past decade, reports a study in the October issue of Medical Care, published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

16 Sep 2013

Using large doses of codeine may heighten sensitivity to pain

Using large and frequent doses of the pain-killer codeine may actually produce heightened sensitivity to pain, without the same level of relief offered by morphine, according to new research from the University of Adelaide.

13 Sep 2013

FDA takes steps to restrict the use of pain meds

The Food and Drug Administration will require a class-wide label change for long-acting opioids aimed at limiting use of these drugs to patients with severe, refractory pain.

12 Sep 2013

First Edition: September 11, 2013

Today's headlines include reports that some House GOP lawmakers are taking a hard line against funding for the health law in the ongoing debate about raising the nation's debt limit.

11 Sep 2013

Safety labeling changes announced for extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today announced class-wide safety labeling changes and new postmarket study requirements for all extended-release and long-acting opioid analgesics intended to treat pain.