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.

State roundup: GOP Attorneys General wield health care clout; N.Y. insurance settlement costing patients?

Like the Supreme Court challenge to the Obama-sponsored healthcare law heard last month, the Arizona case is part of a larger story about an escalating battle between Republican-led states and the federal government. All but one of the 16 states that have filed "friend of the court" briefs on the Arizona side have Republican governors. Meanwhile, all of the 11 states lining up with the Obama administration are led by Democrats.

25 Apr 2012

Addiction to opioids has higher risk of death than alcohol or other drugs

People with an opioid addiction had the highest risk of death when compared with rates for alcohol and other drugs, according to a new study by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).

18 Apr 2012

QRxPharma completes MoxDuo CR Phase 1 studies on chronic pain

QRxPharma announced today successful completion of two Phase 1 studies in healthy volunteers for MoxDuo CR, a controlled-release Dual-Opioid utilising a 3:2 ratio of morphine and oxycodone.

11 Apr 2012

Prescriptions on the rise for strongest pain pills

High-strength painkillers known as opioids represent the most widely prescribed class of medications in the United States.

9 Apr 2012

Med-Tek introduces proprietary Opioid Management Program

Med-Tek a developer of Healthcare Technology Networks ("HTN") designed to improve outcomes for patients, physicians, employers and their constituents today announces the launch of its proprietary Opioid Management Program (OMP).

9 Apr 2012

First Edition: April 9, 2012

In today's headlines, reports about how both Democrats and Republicans are working to woo Seniors -- Medicare politices are central to this effort.

9 Apr 2012

Operation UNITE receives praises for National Rx Drug Abuse Summit

Ameritox, the nation's leader in pain medication monitoring, commends Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education, Inc. (Operation UNITE), the organizers of the inaugural National Rx Drug Abuse Summit, on its coordination of a national forum to address the prescription drug abuse epidemic. The Summit will be held April 10-12 in Orlando, Florida.

7 Apr 2012

Sucampo announces positive results from lubiprostone phase 3 trial on OBD

Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced positive top-line results from an open-label phase 3 clinical trial designed to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of lubiprostone in opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OBD) patients with chronic, non-cancer-related pain.

6 Apr 2012

Researchers identify how neural cells build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours

Researchers at the University of Montreal's Sainte-Justine Hospital have identified how neural cells are able to build up resistance to opioid pain drugs within hours. "A better understanding of these mechanisms will enable us to design drugs that avoid body resistance to these drugs and produce longer therapeutic responses, including prolonged opioid analgesia", lead author Dr. Graciela Pineyro said.

4 Apr 2012

Nektar commences dosing in NKTR-192 Phase 1 clinical study for treatment of acute pain

Nektar Therapeutics announced today that the first subjects were dosed last week in a Phase 1 clinical study to evaluate the pharmacokinetics and safety of NKTR-192, the company's novel short-acting mu-opioid analgesic candidate.

2 Apr 2012

Long delays for persistent pain management

An article in the Australian Medical Journal reveals that taxpayers are paying $34 billion a year to treat persistent pain. Pain specialist Dr Timothy Semple, and president of the Australian Pain Society, told the Herald Sun chronic back pain, arthritis, nerve injuries and people who needed care after surviving cancer made up significant numbers.

1 Apr 2012

Physicians advised to use caution in prescribing sedatives for patients taking opioids

Adverse events associated with taking opioid pain medications increase in patients who concurrently use sedatives and alcohol. A study in The Journal of Pain, published by the American Pain Society, advises physicians to use caution in prescribing sedatives for patients taking opioids, even if there is no history of substance abuse.

30 Mar 2012

Antidepressants can play a key role in relieving pain associated with OA

Antidepressants can play a key role in alleviating painful conditions like osteoarthritis and may result in fewer side effects than traditionally prescribed drug regimes, such as anti-inflammatories and opioids, according to a perspective paper published online ahead of print publication by the International Journal of Clinical Practice.

22 Mar 2012

Opioids may influence breast cancer survival

A new study in the April issue of Anesthesiology analyzed inherited (genetic) differences in how the body responds to its own morphine-like chemicals and pain-relieving opioid drugs, and whether they influence breast cancer survival. Preclinical animal studies have suggested that opioids may promote tumor growth.

22 Mar 2012

Study identifies primary care skills and competencies in opioid risk management

Primary care physicians are faced with treating a large proportion of chronic pain patients, but many do not often have specific training in the assessment and management of chronic pain, including the use of opioid medications for chronic pain management.

17 Mar 2012

Better evidence for effectiveness of drug-based approaches for relieving labour pains

There is better evidence for the effectiveness of drug-based approaches for relieving labour pains than non-drug approaches. These are the findings of an all-encompassing publishing in The Cochrane Library, which draws together results from a number of previous reviews on the subject.

15 Mar 2012

The two sides of pain

"Pain is both a curse and a blessing", says Jürgen Sandkühler, Head of the Department of Neurophysiology at the Centre for Brain Research at the MedUni Vienna ahead of the international "Brain Awareness Week", being held from the 12th to the 16th of March. On the one hand, pain has an important protective function for humans.

14 Mar 2012

FDA panel favors continued research on novel pain medicine

A panel of experts for the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) this Monday recommended that the federal government should allow continued testing of an experimental class of pain drugs for arthritis, despite links to bone decay and joint failure.

13 Mar 2012

Veterans prescribed more opioid pain killers: Study

According to a new government study Morphine and similar powerful painkillers are sometimes prescribed to recent war veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress along with physical pain. The study suggests that these vets are at high risk for drug and alcohol abuse, but they're two times more likely to get prescriptions for addictive painkillers than vets with only physical pain.

7 Mar 2012

Methylnaltrexone may restore bowel function in critically ill patients

Opioids are a mainstay of care in the critical care unit, but their use frequently causes constipation which can lead to adverse outcomes including delayed feeding and later discharge from the ICU. Researchers from London, UK, and Chicago, IL, have found that methylnaltrexone (MNTX), a peripheral opioid antagonist, may restore bowel function in critically ill patients.

2 Mar 2012