JAT accepts five scientific articles co-authored by UCSD doctoral pharmacy students

The Millennium Research Institute (MRI), a nonprofit national research center formed in 2010, and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) announced today five scientific articles co-authored by UCSD doctoral pharmacy students have been accepted by the Journal of Analytical Toxicology (JAT). The articles, which address metabolism of medications including hydrocodone, hydromorphone, methadone, oxymorphone and carisprodol, will appear simultaneously in the May issue of JAT.        

"This research on inter- and intra-subject variability in metabolism of these five most commonly prescribed pain medications adds important new knowledge to the field of pain management that may assist healthcare providers by providing information to avoid drug-drug interactions resulting in enhanced patient safety," said Amadeo J. Pesce, PhD, DABCC, principal investigator at MRI, and UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy partnership director and student mentor.

"We are pleased that the collaboration with MRI on the scientific posters presented at PAINWeek® 2010 has evolved into publications for the scientific community on drug metabolism," said Rabia Atayee, PharmD, BCPS, assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy. "Our affiliation with MRI continues to be vital as the students generate research utilizing the de-identified database of the state-of-the-art facility at Millennium Laboratories."

The five articles include the following:

• Relationship between the Concentration of Hydrocodone and its Conversion to Hydromorphone in Chronic Pain Patients Using Urinary Excretion Data (First author: Neveen H. Barakat; Corr. Author Amadeo J. Pesce)
• Observations on the Metabolism of Morphine to Hydromorphone in Pain Patients (First author: Michelle M. Hughes; Corr. Author Amadeo J. Pesce)
• Evaluating the Relationship of Methadone Concentrations and EDDP Formation in Chronic Pain Patients (First author: Edijs Leimanis; Corr. Author Amadeo J. Pesce)
• Observations on the Urine Metabolic Ratio of Oxycodone to Oxymorphone in Pain Patients (First author: David A. Yee; Corr. Author Amadeo J. Pesce)
• Evaluating the Relationship Between Carisprodol Concentrations and Meprobamate Formation and Inter-Subject and Intra-Subject Variability in Urinary Excretion of Pain Patients (First author: Stephanie A. Tse; Corr. Author Amadeo J. Pesce)

SOURCE Millennium Research Institute