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An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

Analgesics

A Morphine Alternative with Less Overdose Risk?

Lisa Rapaport  |  

(Reuters Health)—Scientists are testing an experimental drug that’s designed to have the painkilling power of morphine without some of the side effects that can lead to overdose deaths. Initial results in mice with the compound known for now as PZM21 suggest it might be less addictive than morphine and other opiate painkillers and avoid respiratory…

Senior Drivers Taking Opioid Painkillers Have Higher Crash Risk

Linda Thrasybule  |  

(Reuters Health)—Seniors who get behind the wheel soon after starting to use narcotic pain relievers have twice the risk of getting into a serious car crash as their peers who use non-opioid painkillers, Swedish researchers say. Senior drivers who’d been using opioid painkillers regularly for several months also had higher odds of getting into accidents,…

Most Seniors Won’t Abuse Opioids After Surgery

Andrew M. Seaman  |  

(Reuters Health)—Seniors who receive prescriptions for opioid drugs to control pain after major surgery don’t usually end up addicted to them, research from Canada shows. One year after having major surgery, less than 1% of patients over age 66 were still taking opioids, according to a report in JAMA Surgery. Recent research has suggested the…

U.S. Panel Backs Approval of Abuse-Resistant Opioid Painkiller

Reuters Staff  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—A U.S. advisory panel on Thursday recommended approval of Egalet Corp’s long-acting opioid painkiller, Arymo ER (morphine sulfate), saying it dulls pain and could deter abuse by addicts seeking a quick high. The panel recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approve the drug and said it deters, but does not eliminate,…

Rheumatology Drug Updates: Labeling for Fluoroquinolones; FDA to Review Benzhydrocodone/Acetaminophen Combination

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FDA Restricts Fluoroquinolone Use The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has twice previously communicated safety information about systemic fluoroquinolones—in August 2013 and July 2008. The safety issues of this medication class described in its latest Drug Safety Communication were also discussed at a November 2015 FDA Advisory Committee meeting.1 The FDA is now advising…

Monitoring Doctors Cuts Opioid Prescriptions

Ronnie Cohen  |  

(Reuters Health)—Doctors in states that track painkiller prescriptions were nearly one-third less likely to offer patients dangerously addicting opioids, a new study found. The launch of drug-monitoring programs in 24 states led to an immediate 30 percent drop in prescriptions for Schedule II opioids, the most addictive, in patients with pain complaints, the study showed….

NSAIDs Effective for Early Axial Spondyloarthritis

Reuters Staff  |  

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are effective, but underused, in patients with early axial spondyloarthritis, researchers from France report. NSAIDs are the cornerstone of treatment of axial spondyloarthritis, but there is often a trade-off between prescribing doses high enough to decrease pain and other symptoms vs. keeping the doses low enough to decrease…