Painkiller News and Research

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Study suggests revolutionary way to make cancer cells more susceptible to existing chemotherapies

The same signal that drives aggressive growth in a deadly cancer cell type also triggers coping mechanisms that make it "notoriously" hard to kill, according to a study published online December 15 in Cell. When stressed, this cell type - far more than most cancer cells - encases its genetic messages in protein globs called "stress granules" that lessen the effect of chemotherapies.

16 Dec 2016

Resilience lowers risk for developing alcohol use disorders, study shows

Resilience considerably reduces risk for developing alcohol use disorders, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

8 Dec 2016

Researchers develop virtual liver model to better understand metabolism of non-prescription painkiller

Researchers at Indiana University's Biocomplexity Institute have developed a virtual model of the human liver to better understand how the organ metabolizes acetaminophen, a common non-prescription painkiller and fever-reducer used in over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol.

29 Nov 2016

Six pioneering French companies to exhibit in innovation zone at Medica 2016

In a global market worth almost €200 billion (around £173 billion) a year, the medical devices and in vitro diagnostics sector is particularly innovative in France. Across the Channel, the sector is comprised of over a thousand companies, employing almost 65,000 people with expertise encompassing medicine, mechanics, material physics and digital technologies.

10 Nov 2016

John Cryer MP, CPPC and TalkHealth jointly launch new chronic pain patient medication survey

It is thought that more than 28 million British people across the United Kingdom suffer with chronic pain, with 8 million of those reporting pain that is moderately to severely disabling.

19 Oct 2016

Migraine patients differ from healthy people by increased vascular reactivity

A group of scientists from several Russian universities and medical centers made progress in explaining the nature of one of the most ancient neurologic diseases – migraine. The study was conducted within a larger project to develop a device capable of remotely and effectively diagnosing this disease.

17 Aug 2016

Discovery of pain paradox paves way to new methods of pain control

A natural substance known to activate pain in the central nervous system has been found to have the opposite effect in other parts of the body, potentially paving the way to new methods of pain control.

28 Jul 2016

New non-drug approach may help manage pain in individuals receiving addiction treatment

It's a Catch-22 with potentially deadly consequences: People trying to overcome addiction can't get treatment for their pain, because the most powerful pain medicines also carry an addiction risk.

27 Jul 2016

Programs to prevent prescription drug misuse may be underused, study reveals

Misuse of prescription pain medications remains a major public health problem -- but programs to prevent it may be underused, according to a study in the July issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

29 Jun 2016

Drexel University researchers aim to identify new molecular mechanisms involved in chronic pain

Chronic pain is one of the most prevalent, disabling and expensive public health crises in the United States. It affects more than 100 million Americans, with annual costs estimated at $635 billion, says a 2014 report from the American Pain Society.

22 Jun 2016

New survey reveals more than half of patients prescribed opioids have leftover pills

In the midst of an epidemic of prescription painkiller addiction and overdose deaths, a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health survey suggests that more than half of patients prescribed opioids have leftover pills -- and many save them to use later.

14 Jun 2016

Patients undergoing breast cancer surgery with non-opiate anaesthesia may need less painkillers

New research presented at Euroanaesthesia 2016 shows that patients undergoing breast cancer surgery need less painkilling medication post-surgery if they have anaesthesia that is free of opioid drugs.

31 May 2016

Researchers find Aspergillus as interesting target for discovery of novel drugs

The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus produces a group of previously unknown natural products. With reference to plant isoquinoline alkaloids, these substances have been named fumisoquins.

28 May 2016

Common pain and anti-inflammation drugs may slow cancer growth

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have found that one of the most widely prescribed pain and anti-inflammation drugs slows the growth rate of a specific kind of cancer in animal models and suggests the medication could have the same effect on other types of tumors.

26 May 2016

Motivational interviewing can help reduce risky use of pain pills

As America battles an epidemic of deaths from misused pain pills, a new study suggests an inexpensive way to cut risky use of these drugs by people who have a high chance of overdosing.

21 Apr 2016

New U of T study shows that acetaminophen could impede error-detection in the brain

It's been known for more than a century that acetaminophen is an effective painkiller, but according to a new U of T study it could also be impeding error-detection in the brain.

11 Apr 2016

Opioids could be dangerous, deadly at high doses

Most people know that heroin is a dangerous drug, but its cousins, the legal, pharmaceutical opioids, such as codeine or hydrocodone, must be safe, right?Not so fast.Opioids—which include the illegal drug heroin as well as prescription medications, including hydrocodone (such as Vicodin), oxycodone (such as OxyContin and Percocet), morphine and codeine—can be dangerous, even deadly, at high doses.

31 Mar 2016

Economic insecurity leads to physical pain

People who feel that their financial outlook is shaky may actually experience more physical pain than those who feel financially secure, according to new research in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings indicate that the link may be driven, at least in part, by feeling a lack of control over one's life.

22 Feb 2016

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association commits to address nation's growing opioid crisis

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and top executives from Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies around the country today committed to addressing the nation's growing opioid crisis with an executive-level committee that will investigate its impact on individuals, local communities and the healthcare system as a whole.

18 Feb 2016

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