Buprenorphine Combats Chronic Pain, Improves Quality of Life for Opioid Users

An analysis of chronic pain patients at Samford University in Birmingham has revealed that patients who are dependent on increasingly larger doses of opioid medications respond well to buprenorphine as an alternative. Patients reported impressive improvements in quality of life and pain levels when switched off opioids and onto buprenorphine. While buprenorphine is classified as a narcotic, it is a partial agonist, making it less dangerous with less potential for abuse than other similarly classed drugs.

It has been considered in the past that long-term opioid dependence may, over time, actually contribute to chronic pain, becoming less effective as the body becomes addicted. Despite no obvious root causes for chronic pain, an increasing need for medication is common in long-term opioid users.

According to Luc Frenette, MD, patients at the pain treatment clinic where the study was done sometimes had difficulty understanding the line between opioid dependence and chronic pain. He commented, “While many patients may feel their pain is real and unrelated to opioid dependence, the results of buprenorphine treatment in our clinic appear to show otherwise.”

Pharma Startup Regulonix is Developing a Non-Opioid Pain Reliever

For years, researchers have attempted to minimize pain, particularly back pain, pain caused by injuries, and HIV pain, by targeting a particular ion channel in some neurons. However, suppressing the ion channel (NaV1.7) has been difficult. A research team at the University of Arizona recently began looking at the problem from another angle by finding ways to block the channel indirectly rather than directly. The treatment disrupts the proteins’ mediator abilities, reversing the pain in rat models.

The University recently licensed the drug, referred to simply as 194, to the pharma startup Regulonix, founded in part by one of the study’s authors, Rajesh Khanna, Ph.D. The company hopes to develop channel-targeting pain killers to replace or augment opioid pain medications. By disrupting NaV1.7, pain signals from nerve cells to the brain carried by electrical currents are blocked. Researchers tested 194 for its ability to manage pain using various administration methods. It proved effective in neuropathic pain caused by HIV, nerve injuries, and chemotherapy.

The therapy is promising because the significant side effects of opioids, including depression, anxiety, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms, do not appear to be present with 194. It can also be used in combination with opioids to reduce the amount of medication needed.

Methocarbamol Recall

Bryant Ranch Prepack has issued a voluntary recall for some of their Methocarbamol tablets due to incorrect labeling. The medication, labeled as containing 500mg tablets, actually contains 750mg tablets.

Taking a higher dosage of the pain reliever, which is used to treat moderate to severe musculoskeletal pain, can lead to excessive central nervous system depression. Symptoms may include seizures, nausea, sedation, dizziness, fainting, falls, coma, and death.

The mislabeled Methocarbamol includes lots numbered 163935 with an expiration date of 10/22. The labels are red and white with yellow borders on the top and bottom and are labeled “Packaged by Bryant Ranch Prepack.” For more information, visit the FDA’s methocarbamol recall notice here.

Hartford Group Launches Pain Management Training Program with Yale University

Hartford, a leader in disability and workers’ compensation insurance, has announced it is partnering with Yale’s Program in Addiction Medicine (Yale-PAM) to develop a training program with three focal points – pain management, addiction, and stigma surrounding chronic pain treatment for injured workers.

The Hartford’s CEO and chairman, Christopher Swift, explained, “The loss and suffering caused by the ongoing opioid crisis is heartbreaking, and now more than ever, it’s important that we all take action to dispel addiction stigma and engage with empathy. We know from our decades of experience that front-line clinicians play a critical role in preventing substance misuse and fostering treatment. That’s why we are honored to partner with an internationally-recognized innovator in addiction treatment on this new training, which will lead to better care for those in need.”

Among the program’s goals are helping physicians accurately identify and treat chronic and acute pain, substance abuse, and opioid use disorders in Connecticut patients. Another goal is to encourage a person-centered, more personalized approach to pain treatment that doesn’t stigmatize those suffering from pain-related problems. The program will also stress the importance of improved function and mobility and a safe return to work for workers.

The program is currently in its first phase, creating a library of clinical resources and developing appropriate training modules to be offered to clinicians. Phase 2 is set to launch in the first half of 2022 when a preliminary group of 50 to 100 medical professionals in Connecticut will undergo training. Clinicians treating workers who suffer from chronic pain or substance abuse will be chosen for the training. In the final phase of the program, training modules will be revised based on the feedback of those trained.

This Week’s Pain Fact: Many specific forms of pain have been around for centuries and even millennia. Gout, caused by the accumulation of uric acid crystals, is an excruciating condition that crosses species lines. In fact, scientists have discovered that Tyrannosaurus Rex sometimes suffered from gout. Damage from osteoarthritis has been found in Egyptian mummies, as well as human Ice Age remains from over 8.000 years ago.