Morphine News and Research

Latest Morphine News and Research

Pediatric pain experts discuss safety, efficacy of pain medications in children

Can we be certain that pain medications considered safe for adults, based on extensive clinical data and experience, are equally safe for use in young children? Pediatric pain experts discussed this question today in a panel session at the American Pain Society, www.ampainsoc.org, annual scientific meeting and agreed more short term and long-term clinical data are needed to provide assurances about the safety and efficacy of several pain medications in children.

21 May 2011

Patients with sickle cell disease may require higher, frequent doses of morphine

Frequent episodes of severe pain occur in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and require treatment with potent opioid medications. A new study published in The Journal of Pain reports that SCD patients clear morphine from their blood stream quickly and, therefore, require high doses to achieve optimal analgesia.

13 May 2011

Pacira Pharmaceuticals reports net loss of $9.8 million for first quarter 2011

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2011, provided an update on the execution of its pre-commercial and launch strategies for EXPAREL, and reiterated 2011 financial guidance.

11 May 2011

New study finds nitric oxide gas appears to affect source of sickle cell pain crises

Nitric oxide gas appears to directly impact the source of the classic, disabling pain crises of sickle cell disease, Georgia Health Sciences University researchers report.

10 May 2011

Pacira to present EXPAREL data in postsurgical pain at two medical meetings

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that clinical and preclinical data highlighting the safety and efficacy of EXPAREL™ will be presented at two medical meetings.

6 May 2011

Marijuana licensing laws vetoed by Washington Governor

Current laws regarding marijuana have come under the scanner. US attorneys have warned states that those who are licensed to grow marijuana or even those who regulate it could be subjected to prosecution. Because of this, several states have begun to change their existing laws for medical marijuana.

4 May 2011

Hebei Aoxing Pharma receives Chinese patent for naloxone sublingual film

Aoxing Pharmaceutical, a specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on research, development, manufacturing and distribution of narcotic and pain-management products, announced that its operating subsidiary in China, Hebei Aoxing Pharmaceutical Group Company, has been granted a patent by the State Intellectual Property Office of The People's Republic of China for naloxone sublingual film.

3 May 2011

Facts become greatest casualty in war on pain medications

The Florida Society of Pain Management Providers urges Government, Law Enforcement and the media to stop using false prescription drug data and statistics. The continued release of false and / or out of context information is solely intended to enflame the public. The misinformation that unfairly portrays Florida as ground zero in this issue has significant consequences for pain management patients and the physicians who provide legitimate care.

22 Apr 2011

Viewpoints: Gov. Walker on 'obsolete' Medicaid; Are patients consumers?; The Onion pokes fun at Romney

What does Medicaid have in common with "I Dream of Jeannie," "Lost in Space" and "Get Smart"? They all made their debut in 1965. ... the television networks have updated their programming.

22 Apr 2011

NIDA launches Addiction Performance Project for primary care providers

The National Institute on Drug Abuse announced today the launch of its Addiction Performance Project, an innovative continued medical education program designed to help primary care providers break down the stigma associated with addiction.

19 Apr 2011

QRxPharma receives new U.S. Patent for MoxDuo IR in treatment of acute pain

QRxPharma Limited announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued the Company a new patent, U.S. Patent #7,923,453, which expires in 2029. This patent covers a proprietary dosing algorithm for converting patients from intravenous opioid administration to orally administered MoxDuo IR, thereby more effectively and safely managing acute pain following surgery.

15 Apr 2011

Meditation can conquer pain: Well almost!

Meditation can be used as a powerful painkiller says new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience. The study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center showed as much reflected in perception of the participants as well as their brain scans.

7 Apr 2011

Meditation for pain succeeds: Study

According to a new study meditation may help in reducing pain. For the study researchers mildly burned 15 men and women in a lab on two separate occasions, before and after the volunteers attended four 20-minute meditation training sessions over the course of four days. During the second round, when the participants were instructed to meditate, they rated the exact same pain stimulus - a 120-degree heat on their calves - as being 57 percent less unpleasant and 40 percent less intense, on average.

5 Apr 2011

Pacira reports net loss of $7.0 million for quarter ended December 31, 2010

Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an emerging specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2010, provided an update on the execution of its pre-commercial and launch strategies for EXPAREL and established 2011 financial guidance.

31 Mar 2011

New findings may make morphine a safer, more effective drug for chronic pain control

An orphan drug originally used for HIV treatment has been found to short-circuit the process that results in additional sensitivity and pain from opioid use. The study by researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine is reported in the March 25, 2011 issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity.

25 Mar 2011

New research: Methadone can affect brain and impair intellectual functions

Methadone has been used to treat heroin addicts for nearly 50 years. Yet we have surprisingly incomplete knowledge about possible harmful effects from prolonged use. New research from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health shows that methadone affects the brain and impairs the attention of experimental animals.

24 Mar 2011

Smoking during pregnancy increases risk of children becoming smokers too

New research has revealed that prenatal exposure to nicotine increases the vulnerability to nicotine self-administration in adolescent mice. The results support the hypothesis that adolescents with prenatal nicotine exposure are more likely to start smoking earlier than their peers and that they are also more susceptible to the addictive effects of nicotine, especially as a result of stress and peer pressure.

21 Mar 2011

Naltrexone may be effective in women with specific genetic variation

Results from a new study suggest that one of the most prescribed medications for alcohol dependence may be more effective in some people. Preliminary results show that naltrexone, one of the only medications approved for treating people with alcohol abuse problems, may only be effective in women and those with a specific genetic variation.

17 Mar 2011

New concerns over prescription narcotics use

Over fifty Australian general practitioners have come under the scanner as part of a national crackdown on inappropriate prescribing of narcotics. The three-month campaign is being carried out by the Medicare following high levels of prescriptions for drugs such as OxyContin and OxyNorm. One GP has been found to be writing over 90 per cent of their prescriptions for narcotics. There are further concerns that the painkillers are being resold on the black market.

7 Mar 2011

Research uncovers new details about protein interactions in retina

Science fiction novelist and scholar Issac Asimov once said, "The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny.' " This recently rang true for an international team of researchers when they observed something they did not expect.

1 Mar 2011