Pain News and Research

Latest Pain News and Research

Cognitive-behavioral, skills-based treatment intervention program shows promise for teenagers with IBD

Disease is a private matter to many of us. For many reasons, we want to keep it to ourselves, and no cluster of disorders challenges patients' need for privacy more than inflammatory bowel disease.

10 Jun 2010

Mutations in ion channels cause rare inherited pain disorder: Research

A mutation that enhances the function of a specific ion channel has been identified as the cause of a rare inherited pain disorder. The research, published by Cell Press in the June 10 issue of the journal Neuron, proposes a potential treatment for the disorder and may lead to a better understanding of chronic pain in humans.

10 Jun 2010

Curexo Technology's ROBODOC assists in first commercial hip replacement surgery

Curexo Technology Corporation made history on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 when its next-generation ROBODOC® Surgical System assisted Dr. William Bargar as he performed the first commercial hip replacement surgery on Warren Roberts of Davis, CA. Mr. Roberts had his left hip replacement using this robotic device in 1995 as a part of an FDA study. This recent surgery performed at Sutter General in Sacramento was for Mr. Roberts' right hip.

10 Jun 2010

NIH awards Aestus $2M SBIR grant for clinical trials of treatment for chronic neuropathic pain

Aestus Therapeutics, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a $2 million Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The grant, from the NIH's National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), will fund clinical trials of Aestus's novel, first-in-class treatment for chronic neuropathic pain.

9 Jun 2010

Regeneron's ARCALYST prevents gout attacks in Phase 3 study of patients initiating allopurinol therapy

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that a Phase 3 study in gout patients initiating allopurinol therapy to lower their uric acid levels showed that ARCALYST (rilonacept), also known as IL-1 Trap, prevented gout attacks, as measured by the primary endpoint of the number of gout flares per patient over the 16 week treatment period.

9 Jun 2010

Lapses in infection control common in ambulatory surgical centers

An assessment of nearly 70 ambulatory surgical centers in three states found that lapses in infection control were common, including for practices such as hand hygiene, injection and medication safety and equipment reprocessing, according to a study in the June 9 issue of JAMA.

9 Jun 2010

Screen time contributes to headache, backache in school-aged teenagers

The amount of time teenagers spend in front of TV screens and monitors has been associated with physical complaints. A large study of more than 30,000 Nordic teenagers published in the open access journal BMC Public Health has shown that TV viewing, computer use and computer gaming (screen time) were consistently associated with back pain and recurrent headaches.

9 Jun 2010

HealthGrades ranks top hospitals in patient experience

Hospitals providing the best patient experience in the nation, according to surveys of their patients overseen by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, were identified today by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization, and posted to its website, www.healthgrades.com.

9 Jun 2010

Blood vessel-blocking drug slows prostate cancer progression: Experts

A blood vessel-blocking drug called tasquinimod slowed the rate of disease progression in a clinical trial of 200 prostate cancer patients, according to experts at Johns Hopkins, Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Duke University.

9 Jun 2010

Helix BioPharma reports Phase II clinical results of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b for ano-genital warts

Helix BioPharma Corp. today announced results from the Phase II clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of Topical Interferon Alpha-2b cream for the treatment of ano-genital warts (AGW).

9 Jun 2010

Harvard and University of Montreal researchers challenge views on how cells respond to stimuli

People have them, cats have them and whales have some, too. Neurons, those interlinked nerve cells that carry sensations including pain, stretch from our spinal cords to the tips of our toes, paws or fins. According to a new study published in the journal Cell, scientists from the Harvard Medical School, the University of Montreal and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have found a new way by which nerve cells relay information that tell them to grow from millimeters to meters in length.

9 Jun 2010

Inquiry into the hospital acquired killer bug starts

A Second World War veteran John Boyle died of Clostridium difficile infection after being admitted to hospital for the first time at the age of 90. He was diagnosed with the infection on January 25 this year and succumbed to it two weeks later. He was one of 18 patients to die at a Scottish hospital when the outbreak of this hospital-acquired infection was reported.

8 Jun 2010

Breast cancer research showcased at ASCO Annual Meeting

Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation funded research will be presented today at the 2010 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago.

8 Jun 2010

Depressed mood makes pain more unpleasant

When it comes to pain, the two competing schools of thought are that it's either "all in your head" or "all in your body". A new study led by University of Oxford researchers indicates that, instead, pain is an amalgam of the two.

8 Jun 2010

Scientists combine two agents to treat patients with multiple myeloma

Scientists from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit presented data showing that by combining two treatment agents in the care of multiple myeloma patients, doctors can use higher dosages of chemotherapy before autologous stem cell transplant while alleviating painful and debilitating side effects like severe oral mucositis (mouth ulcers).

8 Jun 2010

Final results from Phase 1 trial of OGX-427 for treating solid tumors presented at ASCO 2010

OncoGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced final results from a Phase 1 trial. The primary purpose of this trial was to evaluate the safety and tolerability of OGX-427 up to doses of 1000 mg for the treatment of various solid tumors. Patients enrolled had a diagnosis of castrate resistant prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer or non-small cell lung cancer.

8 Jun 2010

Hospira signs licensing agreement to develop and market DURECT's POSIDUR

Hospira, Inc., a global specialty pharmaceutical and medication delivery company, and DURECT Corporation, a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that the companies have entered into a licensing agreement to develop and market DURECT's POSIDUR (SABER-bupivacaine) a long-acting version of the anesthetic bupivacaine currently in Phase III clinical trials.

8 Jun 2010

FDA accepts Depomed's DM-1796 NDA for pain after shingles

Depomed, Inc. today announced that the New Drug Application (NDA) for DM-1796 was accepted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the management of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), or pain after shingles. DM-1796 is an investigational, extended release, once-daily tablet formulation of gabapentin designed to reduce dosing frequency and have a low incidence of side effects.

8 Jun 2010

Assured Pharmacy launches new website

Assured Pharmacy, a pharmacy service healthcare organization operating a chain of specialty pharmacies providing advanced prescription medication fulfillment solutions to sufferers of chronic pain, is pleased to announce the launch of its new website: www.assuredrxservices.com.

7 Jun 2010

Masimo announces full market release of Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring to provide RRa

Masimo, the inventor of Pulse CO-Oximetry and Measure-Through Motion and Low Perfusion pulse oximetry, announced today the full market release of its latest medical technology breakthrough—Masimo Rainbow Acoustic Monitoring— providing continuous and noninvasive respiration rate that is accurate, easy-to-use, and enhances patient tolerance.

7 Jun 2010