Latest Opioid Stories

Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety: Addressing The Joint Commission Opioid Warnings Can Reduce Respiratory Depression and Improve Patient Safety in Hospitals

2012-11-20 12:27:07

CHICAGO, Nov. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety says recent research demonstrates how hospitals can address The Joint Commission Sentinel Event Alert, "Safe Use of Opioids in Hospitals." Respiratory depression is an identified patient safety issue. As The Joint Commission recently stated: "While opioid use is generally safe for most patients, opioid analgesics may be associated with adverse effects, the most serious effect being...

American Academy of Pain Medicine Safe Opioid Prescribing Course Proves Highly Effective

2012-11-14 16:26:10

93 Percent of Respondents Improve Prescribing Practices GLENVIEW, Ill., Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) released survey results today demonstrating the value of its Safe Opioid Prescribing Course as 93 percent of respondents report changing their practices after taking the course. Specifically, more than half of respondents to the survey reported that they have improved their practices, related to prescribing extended-release...

Operation OpioidSAFE Rescues Wounded Soldiers From Prescription Drug Addiction

2012-11-13 12:30:13

FORT BRAGG, N.C., Nov. 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Army is taking action to help wounded soldiers avoid the added crisis of a prescription drug addiction. Doctors and researchers are now emphasizing providing non-pharmaceutical treatment for pain related injuries. Spinal pain is the number one cause for a soldier's discharge, but thanks to Operation OpiodSAFE, veterans are getting back into the field with the help of new programs and technologies developed to improve...

AstraZeneca Announces Top-line Phase III Results from Naloxegol Pivotal Trials In Patients With Opioid-Induced Constipation

2012-11-12 08:26:39

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AstraZeneca today announced positive top-line results from two Phase III trials and one safety extension trial in patients with non-cancer related pain and opioid-induced constipation (OIC). These Phase III KODIAC trials evaluated the safety and efficacy of naloxegol, an oral peripherally-acting, mu-opioid receptor antagonist for the treatment of OIC, a common side effect of prescription opioids. KODIAC-04 and -05 are both multicenter,...

Ameritox Symposium to Help Educate Physicians about Emerging Trends in Opioid, Designer Drug Misuse and Abuse at Third Annual CASIPP Meeting

2012-11-08 12:27:47

BALTIMORE, Nov. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameritox(SM), the nation's leader in medication monitoring solutions, today announced an upcoming symposium titled "Emerging Trends in Managing Opioid Abuse and Misuse: New Recommendations and Designer Drugs," to be held in conjunction with the third annual California Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (CASIPP) meeting in Newport Beach, Calif., on Nov. 10. The symposium will feature leading pain expert Daniel Bennett, M.D., medical...

AcelRx Pharmaceuticals Doses the First Patients in ARX-04 Phase 2 Clinical Study

2012-11-05 08:31:44

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Nov. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- AcelRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ACRX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for the treatment of acute and breakthrough pain, today announced that it has dosed the first subjects in a Phase 2, placebo-controlled, dose-finding study of its ARX-04 sufentanil NanoTab product candidate. This study will enroll approximately 100 patients following...

Deaths from Unrecognized Opioid Induced Respiratory Depression: Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Pushes for Increased Patient Safety in Hospitals

2012-10-31 11:25:43

CHICAGO, Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a presentation made at the recent annual meeting of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, preventable deaths in hospitals remain a major public health hazard worldwide. Frank J Overdyk, MD, Marieke Niesters, MD, Albert Dahan, MD, PhD, in their presentation, "Respiratory Depression: The Common Fatal Pathway for 'Non Fatal' Conditions", say: "Preventable deaths in hospitals remain a major public health hazard worldwide....

Collegium Announces Poster Presentation for Oxycodone DETERx®, a Tamper-Resistant, Extended-Release Opioid at 2012 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Annual Meeting

2012-10-19 07:23:21

CUMBERLAND, R.I., Oct. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Collegium Pharmaceutical, Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the development of innovative treatments for chronic pain, today announced the presentation of a scientific poster titled "Alternate methods of oral administration for Oxycodone DETERx, a novel, extended-release, tamper-resistant opioid formulation" at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, held in Chicago, Illinois...

BioDelivery Sciences Announces the Launch of BREAKYL (BEMA Fentanyl) in the E.U.

2012-10-15 07:28:27

RALEIGH, N.C., Oct. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BioDelivery Sciences International, Inc. (Nasdaq: BDSI) announced the commercial launch of BREAKYL (fentanyl buccal film) in the European Union. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110217/CL49801LOGO ) BDSI's commercial partner for BREAKYL in the E.U. is Meda. Under the terms of its E.U. agreement with Meda, BDSI will now receive a final milestone payment of $2.5 million. BDSI will also receive a royalty on net sales of BREAKYL...

EXPAREL® as the Foundation of a Multimodal Regimen Achieves Statistical Significance in All Primary Endpoints, Including a 60 Percent Reduction in Length of Hospital Stay

2012-10-13 04:04:32

IMPROVE trial compares the cost of care between a standard opioid-based regimen and an EXPAREL-based multimodal regimen for postsurgical pain management. Online (PRWEB) October 11, 2012 PARSIPPANY, N.J.-- Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: PCRX) today announced topline results from the first completed IMPROVE study in its prospective Phase 4 clinical program. The study was designed to compare the difference in three primary endpoints—cost, opioid consumption and hospital length of...