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New vaccine strategy may curb addiction, prevent fatal overdoses

With use of synthetic opioid "designer drugs" on the rise, scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have a new strategy to curb addiction and even prevent fatal overdoses.

17 Feb 2016

Researchers develop new painkiller as strong as morphine but not addictive

Researchers at Tulane University and Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System have developed a painkiller that is as strong as morphine but isn't likely to be addictive and with fewer side effects, according to a new study in the journal Neuropharmacology.

29 Jan 2016

Educational programs, new clinic policies could significantly reduce level of opioid medication

A recent study showed that medical provider training, new clinic policies and efforts to "taper" opioid use for pain treatment could significantly reduce the level of opioid medication that patients used -- a limited but positive step for a nation enmeshed in opioid use, abuse and overdose deaths.

27 Jan 2016

Temple University Hospital makes strides in confronting prescription drug abuse

Prescription drug abuse has become a public health crisis in the U.S., and Temple University Hospital has made strides in confronting this critical situation.

21 Jan 2016

First patient enrolled in Phase 3 efficacy trial of CAM2038 for opioid dependence

Braeburn Pharmaceuticals and Camurus announce that the first patient has been randomized in the double blind Phase 3 efficacy trial of CAM2038 in opioid-dependent patients. CAM2038 medications are designed for long-acting weekly and monthly administration.

31 Dec 2015

Most patients with chronic pain continue to receive prescription opioids after nonfatal overdose

A study led by Boston Medical Center indicates that most patients with chronic pain who are hospitalized after a nonfatal opioid overdose continue to receive prescription opioids after the overdose and are at high risk for experiencing a repeated overdose.

30 Dec 2015

Opioid prescribing guideline has immediate, sustained impact on prescribing rates

Emergency medicine physicians at Temple University Hospital have found that an opioid prescribing guideline had an immediate and sustained impact on opioid prescribing rates for minor conditions and chronic noncancer pain in an acute care setting.

30 Dec 2015

More than 90% of patients continue to receive prescription opioids after overdose

More than 90 percent of patients with chronic pain continue to receive prescription opioids after an overdose and are at high risk for experiencing a repeated overdose, according to an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

29 Dec 2015

Crackdown on Florida's 'pill mills' reduces painkiller overdose deaths

A crackdown on Florida's "pill mills" - clinics dispensing large quantities of prescription painkillers often for cash-only and without proper medical examinations - appears to have dramatically reduced the number of overdose deaths in the state from these drugs and may have also led to a drop in heroin overdose deaths, new research suggests.

22 Dec 2015

New data shows opioid overdose deaths hit record levels in 2014

From 2000 to 2014 nearly half a million Americans died from drug overdoses. Opioid overdose deaths, including both opioid pain relievers and heroin, hit record levels in 2014, with an alarming 14 percent increase in just one year, according to new data published today in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

20 Dec 2015

Toronto researchers reveal how opioids interfere with breathing mechanism

University of Toronto researchers on a quest to make opioid drugs less lethal have discovered a window of opportunity: a tiny channel in the brain where opioids interfere with the breathing mechanism.

18 Dec 2015

FDA approves Vistogard (uridine triacetate) for emergency treatment of chemotherapy overdose

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Vistogard (uridine triacetate) for the emergency treatment of adults and children who receive an overdose of the cancer treatment fluorouracil or capecitabine, or who develop certain severe or life-threatening toxicities within four days of receiving these cancer treatments.

12 Dec 2015

People exiting prison or jail get access to health services

With the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, an entire new population is eligible for government health care: low-income men.

8 Dec 2015

Motivational interviewing helps curb prescription opioid abuse among older adults with chronic pain

Prescription opioid abuse has reached epidemic proportions, with more than half of patients being treated for chronic pain reportedly misusing their medication at some point.

8 Dec 2015

Researchers receive $6 million to further develop potential treatment for cocaine abuse

University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy Professor Chang-Guo Zhan, along with fellow UK Professors Fang Zheng and Sharon Walsh, and Professor Mei-Chuan Ko from Wake Forest University, recently received $6 million in funding over five years to further develop a potential treatment for cocaine abuse.

21 Nov 2015

TSRI researchers awarded $1.6 million grant to advance preclinical studies of potential heroin vaccine

Now researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have been awarded a prestigious Translational Avant-Garde Award, which supports the development of medications for substance abuse disorders, from the National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse.

20 Nov 2015

FDA approves Narcan nasal spray to prevent or reverse effects of opioid overdose

Today the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Narcan nasal spray, the first FDA-approved nasal spray version of naloxone hydrochloride, a life-saving medication that can stop or reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Opioids are a class of drugs that include prescription medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, and morphine, as well as the illegal drug heroin.

18 Nov 2015

Experts issue recommendations aimed at stemming prescription opioid epidemic

A group of experts, led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, today issued recommendations aimed at stemming the prescription opioid epidemic, a crisis that kills an average of 44 people a day in the U.S.

17 Nov 2015

Young offenders face a greater risk for early death, finds new study

In the U.S. the chances of being arrested are one in three by age 23. Youth offenders face a greater risk for early death than the rest of the population; according to a new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, that risk increases as a young person becomes more involved in the judicial system. The more serious and prolonged a youth's interaction with the justice system becomes, the more likely he or she is to die prematurely.

12 Nov 2015

Novel enzyme therapy offers possible treatment for cocaine overdose

A long-acting enzyme that rapidly and safely metabolizes cocaine in the blood stream is currently being investigated in animal models as a possible treatment for cocaine overdose.

30 Oct 2015