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 report reveals prevalence of heroin-related overdose deaths in Kentucky

A new report from the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) reveals the prevalence and charges associated with drug overdose in the Bluegrass state.

25 Feb 2014

Opiate use alters activity of specific protein needed for normal functioning of brain's reward center

Identifying the specific pathways that promote opioid addiction, pain relief, and tolerance are crucial for developing more effective and less dangerous analgesics, as well as developing new treatments for addiction.

25 Feb 2014

Research roundup: Palliative care and ACOs; employers and Supreme Court case on contraception

In preparation for the new ACO environment, leaders recognized the contribution palliative care can make to health care "value," especially in the care of our sickest (and most expensive) patients ...

24 Feb 2014

Pairing school and home programs most effective in curbing teen prescription drug abuse

Programs that aim to curb teen prescription drug abuse have vastly differing effectiveness, ranging from big drops in drug abuse to no measurable effect, according to a new study of 11,000 teenagers by researchers at Duke and Pennsylvania State universities.

19 Feb 2014

Study reveals that more than 14% of pregnant women are prescribed opioids for pain

More than 14 percent of pregnant women were prescribed opioids (narcotics) for pain at some time during their pregnancy, according to a study posted to the online version of Anesthesiology.

13 Feb 2014

MORE intervention reduces pain and opioid misuse

With nearly one-third of Americans suffering from chronic pain, prescription opioid painkillers have become the leading form of treatment for this debilitating condition. Unfortunately, misuse of prescription opioids can lead to serious side effects-including death by overdose.

5 Feb 2014

Viewpoints: Target has the right idea for part-timers; health law 'beyond rescue;' fighting back to secure the right to abortion

The big noise on the health insurance front today was sounded by Target, which announced via a corporate blog that it's ending health insurance for its part-time workers. Instead of signing up for a company plan, they're encouraged to use the health care exchanges set up through the Affordable Care Act. ...

24 Jan 2014

FSMB joins with partners to educate health care professionals on safe prescribing of opioid analgesics

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) and FSMB Foundation are collaborating with several partners to provide state medical boards with resources to educate health care professionals on the safe and responsible prescribing of extended-release (ER) and long-acting (LA) opioid analgesics for patients with chronic pain.

22 Jan 2014

ASA's recommendations to help patients avoid unnecessary tests for chronic pain

Not prescribing opioids first or as a long-term therapy for chronic, non-cancer pain and avoiding MRIs, CTs and X-rays for low-back pain are among the tests and treatments identified by ASA that are commonly ordered but not always necessary.

22 Jan 2014

Aetna is helping to reverse abuse of prescription painkillers

Abuse of prescription painkillers, known as opioids, is a widespread and growing problem in the United States. The epidemic adds billions of dollars to health care, work place and criminal justice costs each year.

10 Jan 2014

Nociceptin in brain naturally moderates effects of stress

Collaborating scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of Camerino in Italy have published new findings on a system in the brain that naturally moderates the effects of stress.

8 Jan 2014

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