Opioid analgesics

‘Painkillers don’t exist’ campaign launched in area with one of the highest opioid prescribing rates in England

A clinical commissioning group in the north east of England has launched a campaign to tackle opioid addiction after it was found to have one of the highest prescribing rates of opioids in the country.…

Gripping account of the human cost of the United States’ opioid crisis

BBC Three. Addicted: America’s Opioid Crisis…

Moratorium on online dispensing of opioids is required

An undercover investigation carried out by The Times is further proof that online pharmacies should be prohibited from prescribing and dispensing opioid medicines until they can prove they are safe.…

Researchers to design pharmacist-led intervention for patients using long-term opioids

A five-year research programme has been launched to develop and test a pharmacist-led intervention for patients taking regular opioids for long-term pain.…

RPS calls for investigation after online pharmacies prescribed opioids to undercover reporter

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has called for an urgent investigation to be carried out after five online pharmacies prescribed opioids to an undercover reporter for The Times without contacting the reporter’s GP.…

More than 500,000 patients in England were prescribed an opioid for over three years, PHE finds

A review published by Public Health England has found that more than 500,000 patients in England were continuously prescribed an opioid for three years or more, despite a lack of evidence showing their efficacy in the long term.…

Tramadol and methadone users are at increased risk of hypoglycaemia, study reveals

Patients who take tramadol and methadone are at a higher risk of developing hypoglycaemia compared to those who take other opioids, a study has found.…

Opioids users should have annual reviews to protect them from potential harm, says updated Scottish guidelines

Patients who are given opioids for pain relief should have their medicines reviewed soon after they are prescribed and at least annually after that, according to updated guidance from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network.…

Delayed market entry for generic buprenorphine patches could have cost NHS £500,000, study concludes

Patent protection strategies that delayed the entry of multiple generic buprenorphine patches into the market in 2016 potentially resulted in £500,000 worth of savings being lost to the NHS.…

Efficacy of tramadol reduced by concurrent use of some antidepressants

Taking certain antidepressants reduces the efficacy of the opioid medicine tramadol, according to research published in Pharmacotherapy.…