Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin created an opioid-free painkiller that works by targeting receptors on immune cells, according to a study published July 5 in The Journal of Neuroscience.
GLP-1s
Twenty-eight states have created laws and policies limiting the prescription of opioids to patients. For some individuals with chronic pain, these types of restrictions are more crippling than curative, according to NPR.
Here are 10 stories Becker's Hospital Review published on pain management, opioid addiction and the current epidemic, starting with the most recent.
Physicians consider buprenorphine a crucial drug to fight opioid withdrawal symptoms. While the drug has increased in popularity amid the ongoing opioid epidemic, buprenorphine poses a poisoning risk to children, according to research cited by Healthline.
Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger Health System has cut opioid prescriptions in half since 2014, saving the health system an average of about $1 million annually, according to The Sentinel.
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UPMC and University of Pittsburgh launched an advanced genome sequencing center, which aims to support the advancement of precision medicine and immunotherapy.
Methadone could be a more effective treatment than morphine for babies introduced to opioids in utero and born with withdrawal symptoms, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
New York physicians prescribed more opioids to Medicare patients after receiving payments from opioid manufacturers, compared to those who did not receive money from a drugmaker, according to a study from the New York State Health Foundation.
Offering physicians free or cheap meals in exchange for promoting opioid products may be increasing their prescribing patterns, according to a Boston Medical Center study reported by The Boston Herald.
Payments, free meals and speaking fees from drug companies might be influencing physicians to prescribe opioids, with certain physicians who prescribe the highest amounts of painkillers receiving the most attention from the pharma industry, according to a study published in…