Allergan sues Pfizer over opioid litigation costs
Allergan alleges that that the deluge of lawsuits it is facing stem from Pfizer ' s improper handling of Kadian, which Allergan acquired from Pfizer in 2008 (Source: PharmaManufacturing.com)
Source: PharmaManufacturing.com - August 2, 2018 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
July 23, 2018: Springfield EMT/Paramedic Pleads Guilty to Stealing Fentanyl, Morphine
(Source: Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) Press Releases)
Source: Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) Press Releases - July 24, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: news
Painkiller used for dementia 'could make symptoms worse'
Buprenorphine linked to an increase in side-effects including sedation and confusion, scientists findA painkiller commonly used by people living with dementia could make symptoms worse, according to researchers who found it was linked to an increase in problematic side-effects including sedation and confusion.The painkiller buprenorphine is an opioid that is available in several forms, including as a patch that delivers the drug through the skin. It is thought toresult in fewer side-effects than morphine, with the added benefit that it can be given to people who have difficulty swallowing.Continue reading... (Source: Guard...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - July 24, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Tags: Drugs Dementia Health Society Science Alzheimer's Source Type: news
Low-Dose Ketamine May Be a Safe Opioid Alternative Low-Dose Ketamine May Be a Safe Opioid Alternative
A literature analysis shows ketamine is as effective as morphine for short-term pain relief in emergency departments but had more nonsevere side effects.Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)
Source: Medscape Today Headlines - July 20, 2018 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Emergency Medicine News Source Type: news
Multisite phosphorylation is required for sustained interaction with GRKs and arrestins during rapid {mu}-opioid receptor desensitization
We report how specific multisite phosphorylation controlled the dynamics of GRK and β-arrestin interactions with MOR and show how such phosphorylation mediated receptor desensitization. We showed that GRK2/3 was recruited more quickly than was β-arrestin to a DAMGO-activated MOR. β-Arrestin recruitment required GRK2 activity and MOR phosphorylation, but GRK recruitment also depended on the phosphorylation sites in the C-terminal tail, specifically four serine and threonine residues within the 370TREHPSTANT379 motif. Our results also suggested that other residues outside this motif participated in the initial...
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - July 17, 2018 Category: Science Authors: Miess, E., Gondin, A. B., Yousuf, A., Steinborn, R., Mösslein, N., Yang, Y., Göldner, M., Ruland, J. G., Bünemann, M., Krasel, C., Christie, M. J., Halls, M. L., Schulz, S., Canals, M. Tags: STKE Research Articles Source Type: news
Drilling down to the details of opioid signaling
Despite using opioids for centuries for pain management, we still don ’t have a complete understanding of how drugs like morphine and oxycodone actually work. And that’s a problem for patients, who must weather side effects that can range from nausea and constipation to cognitive impairment, addiction, and, at high doses, even death. (Source: UCSF School of Pharmacy News)
Source: UCSF School of Pharmacy News - July 11, 2018 Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Levi Gadye Source Type: news
July 10: 2018: Former Pharmacy Technician Indicted for Stealing Fentanyl, Morphine
(Source: Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) Press Releases)
Source: Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI) Press Releases - July 11, 2018 Category: Medical Law Source Type: news
Aurobindo in last lap to buy Mallinckrodt ’s US generics business
Mallinckrodt has the world ’s most diverse line of bulk medicinal controlled substances including fentanyl, methadone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, oxycodone, morphine and codeine-based drugs. (Source: The Economic Times Healthcare and Biotech News)
Source: The Economic Times Healthcare and Biotech News - July 10, 2018 Category: Pharmaceuticals Source Type: news
Troublesome fibroids
I discovered I had troublesome fibroids about 16 years ago, I was 36 at the time. The first one was large and causing some very heavy bleeding. My gynaecologist at the time suggested a hysterectomy as I already had my children, I felt hysterectomy was a very drastic measure at 36 and went on a waiting list for a new non invasive surgery called fibroid embolisation.
I had the embolisation a year later, it stoped the fibroid growing and held off the symptoms for another 15 years. When I reached 50 I started to have further issues with erratic bleeding spotting and unusual discharge. I saw my doctor and we decided to wait and...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - June 28, 2018 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Health fibroids hysterectomy stories recovery Source Type: news
Troublesome fibroids
I discovered I had troublesome fibroids about 16 years ago, I was 36 at the time. The first one was large and causing some very heavy bleeding. My gynaecologist at the time suggested a hysterectomy as I already had my children, I felt hysterectomy was a very drastic measure at 36 and went on a waiting list for a new non invasive surgery called fibroid embolisation.
I had the embolisation a year later, it stoped the fibroid growing and held off the symptoms for another 15 years. When I reached 50 I started to have further issues with erratic bleeding spotting and unusual discharge. I saw my doctor and we decided to wait and...
Source: The Hysterectomy Association - June 28, 2018 Category: OBGYN Authors: Linda Parkinson-Hardman Tags: Health fibroids hysterectomy stories recovery Source Type: news
Change in brain cells linked to opiate addiction, narcolepsy
This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Medical Research Service of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences)
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - June 27, 2018 Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news
A wakefulness molecule is abundant in the brains of heroin addicts
(American Association for the Advancement of Science) Researchers have discovered that the brains of heroin addicts harbor a greater number of neurons that produce hypocretin, a molecule involved in arousal and wakefulness, and one lacking in abundance in people with narcolepsy. In mice with narcolepsy, these researchers went on to show, administering morphine -- an opioid similar. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)
Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science - June 27, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Pain relief at a lower opioid dose
(Johns Hopkins Medicine) A team of researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that activating nerve cell receptors along two chemical pathways -- one that has previously been linked to how the brain senses 'itch' -- may improve pain relief when combined with conventional ways to blunt pain using opioid drugs, such as morphine. (Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health)
Source: EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health - June 25, 2018 Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: news
Oligomerization of MrgC11 and {mu}-opioid receptors in sensory neurons enhances morphine analgesia
The μ-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist morphine is commonly used for pain management, but it has severe adverse effects and produces analgesic tolerance. Thus, alternative ways of stimulating MOR activity are needed. We found that MrgC11, a sensory neuron–specific G protein–coupled receptor, may form heteromeric complexes with MOR. Peptide-mediated activation of MrgC11 enhanced MOR recycling by inducing coendocytosis and sorting of MOR for membrane reinsertion. MrgC11 activation also inhibited the coupling of MOR to β-arrestin-2 and enhanced the morphine-dependent inhibition of cAMP production. Intrathecal...
Source: Signal Transduction Knowledge Environment - June 19, 2018 Category: Science Authors: He, S.-Q., Xu, Q., Tiwari, V., Yang, F., Anderson, M., Chen, Z., Grenald, S. A., Raja, S. N., Dong, X., Guan, Y. Tags: STKE Research Articles Source Type: news
