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.

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

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.