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

Analgesics

Prescription-Drug Monitoring Cuts Doctor-Shopping for Painkillers

Ronnie Cohen  |  

(Reuters Health)—State programs that require physicians to check drug registries before writing prescriptions appeared to slash the odds of doctor-shopping for opioid pain relievers, a new study found. “Our study shows that prescription-drug monitoring programs are a promising component of a multifaceted strategy to address the opioid epidemic,” Ryan Mutter, one of the study authors,…

Rheumatology Drug Updates: Celecoxib and Cardiovascular Safety Trial Results Reviewed

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Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have been used therapeutically since the 1960s.1 Evidence of adverse cardiovascular outcomes led to the withdrawal of the selective COX-2 inhibitor rofecoxib in September 2004, when the question of cardiovascular safety of NSAIDs first came into the limelight.2 Valdecoxib (Bextra) was subsequently withdrawn from the market in April 2005 due to…

Music May Help Reduce Pain

Kathryn Doyle  |  

(Reuters Health)—As a complement to traditional pain relief tools, such as medication, listening to music may lessen acute or chronic pain related to cancer and other conditions, according to a new review. “We have seen and observed this effect in multiple clinical settings, such as medical hospitals and hospice-care facilities,” says author Dr. Jin Hyung…

U.S. Justice Department to Push Prosecutors on Opioids

Reuters Staff  |  

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. Justice Department will enlist federal prosecutors to help fight the nation’s opioid crisis by sharing information on overprescribing doctors and coordinating with public health officials to address addiction, USA Today reported on Friday. “You can’t just have an enforcement strategy alone,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch told the newspaper in an interview. She…

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…