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.

New ToxIC study identifies current drug poisoning trends

Nonprescription medications are just as likely a cause of poisoning as prescription drugs, according to a new study by Timothy Wiegand, M.D. from the University of Rochester Medical Center in the US and colleagues.

5 Oct 2012

An expanded role for some nurses?

A federal agency is weighing whether to reimburse a specialized type of nurse for giving chronic-pain treatments, a move opposed by some doctors and one that critics say could complicate the battle against prescription painkiller abuse.

4 Oct 2012

First Edition: October 3, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Jordan Rau reports: "Medicare's new readmission penalties for hospitals just got a bit tougher. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has discovered errors in its initial calculations in August. As a result, 1,422 hospitals with comparatively high readmission rates will lose slightly more money than they were expecting, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of the revised penalties. Fifty-five hospitals will lose less than were previously told."

3 Oct 2012

Adjuvants underused initially, follow up needed for cancer patients in pain

Italian study results indicate that physicians underuse adjuvant therapies for treatment of pain in cancer in the first instance, and that close follow up of oncology patients is needed to improve the efficacy of analgesic therapy in this setting.

2 Oct 2012

ProStrakan acquires US commercial rights to Fareston for treatment of metastatic breast cancer

ProStrakan Group plc announces today that it has acquired exclusive US commercial rights to Fareston (toremifene citrate) for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women.

1 Oct 2012

Tips on safe use of opioids in hospitals

On August 8, The Joint Commission issued a Sentinel Event Alert on the safe use of opioids in hospitals. The Alert discussed the significance of accurate pain assessment and effective pain management plans.

26 Sep 2012

Chronic respiratory disease treatments: an interview with Dr Sven Jan-Anders Karlsson, CEO of Verona Pharma

There are many different chronic respiratory diseases. Verona Pharma is mainly focused on two diseases: asthma and COPD. Asthma is a very common disease and unfortunately it has been increasing in prevalence in developed countries. This is the same with COPD; however, there may be different reasons for this.

25 Sep 2012

ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation for 16 new centers

The European Society for Medical Oncology has awarded ESMO Designated Center of Integrated Oncology and Palliative Care accreditation to 16 new oncology centers. The centers will receive the acknowledgment at the ESMO 2012 Congress, in Vienna, Austria, 28 September - 2 October.

24 Sep 2012

FDA Division of Neurology Products, CoLucid reach agreement for lasmiditan development strategy

CoLucid Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company, has reached agreement with the Food and Drug Administration's Division of Neurology Products concerning the development strategy for lasmiditan at a recently completed End of Phase 2 meeting.

19 Sep 2012

Positive data from Nektar’s NKTR-192 Phase 1a study on acute pain

Nektar Therapeutics announced today that positive data from the first single-ascending dose Phase 1a clinical study of NKTR-192, the company's novel short-acting mu-opioid analgesic candidate, demonstrate that the drug candidate achieved its target pharmacokinetic profile.

19 Sep 2012

Four steps to help curb military suicide

The suicide rate in the U.S. Army now exceeds the rate in the general population, and psychiatric admission is now the most common reason for hospitalization in the Army.

11 Sep 2012

Pediatric pain: An interview with Lori Kozlowski

The pain experienced by the infants, children and adolescents in our study was the result of a broad range of medical and surgical conditions.

11 Sep 2012

Centralized network may reduce inappropriate filled prescriptions

Implementing a centralized network that links province-wide pharmacy and hospital data could reduce the number of inappropriate filled prescriptions, show Canadian study results.

7 Sep 2012

Doctor and pharmacy shoppers at increased risk for drug-related death

A published study conducted by researchers at West Virginia University has found that doctor and pharmacy shoppers are at a greater risk for drug-related death.

7 Sep 2012

Real-time prescription system reduces inappropriate prescribing of medications

A centralized prescription network providing real-time information to pharmacists in British Columbia, Canada, resulted in dramatic reductions in inappropriate prescriptions for opioid analgesics and benzodiazepines, widely used and potentially addictive drugs. The findings are reported in a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

5 Sep 2012

Data from ESTEVE’s S1RA E-52862 Phase I trial programme on pain

ESTEVE announces the recent publication of data from the Phase I clinical trial programme of a novel, highly potent and selective, once-daily, S1RA E-52862, developed by the ESTEVE R&D team, in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

4 Sep 2012

Incentives can help promote drug abstinence among pregnant women with heroin or cocaine addiction

A "contingency management" approach—offering incentives for negative drug tests—can help promote drug abstinence among pregnant women with heroin or cocaine addiction, reports a study in the September Addictive Disorders & Their Treatment. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health.

1 Sep 2012

Non-pain-related factors predict long-term opioid use after surgery

Non-pain-related factors—including previous use of pain medications, high perceived risk of addiction, and symptoms of depression—increase the risk of continuing to use strong pain-relieving drugs several months after surgery, reports a study in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

31 Aug 2012

Chronic nerve pain: an interview with Professor Sally Lawson

Chronic nerve pain results from pathological changes within a nerve that appear to be self-sustaining and thus the pain continues for a long time.

30 Aug 2012

Collegium commences enrollment in Oxycodone DETERx Phase 3 study in chronic lower back pain

Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for chronic pain today announced that it has initiated enrollment in its Phase 3 clinical study for Oxycodone DETERx (COL-003).

30 Aug 2012