Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for October 2010. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
FDA: Methotrexate Injection Vials Recalled
FRIDAY, Oct. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Sandoz have notified health care professionals of a voluntary recall of 24 lots of methotrexate injection (50 mg/2 mL and 250 mg/10 mL vials) due to the presence of small glass particulates in a limited number of vials in four lots.
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Opioid Substitution Rx Lowers Mortality Risk for Abusers
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) -- Despite increased risk during the first two weeks, the risk of death during opioid substitution therapy is lower, overall, than the risk of death out of treatment, according to research published online Oct. 26 in BMJ.
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Primary Care Trails Other Specialties in Hourly Wages
TUESDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Primary care physicians have substantially lower hourly wages than other specialists, and although most physicians find Medicare reimbursement inequitable, they show little consensus on how to reform it, according to two studies published in the Oct. 25 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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FDA: Fentanyl Transdermal System Patches Recalled
MONDAY, Oct. 25 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified health care professionals and patients that 18 lots of Fentanyl Transdermal System 25 mcg/hour C-II patches (Duragesic) are being voluntarily recalled. The recall was issued due to the potential for the active ingredient, fentanyl, to release faster than indicated, which can lead to adverse events among at-risk patients, including excessive sedation, respiratory depression, hypoventilation, and apnea.
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FDA Approves Botox for Chronic Migraine Treatment
MONDAY, Oct. 18 (HealthDay News) -- On Friday, Oct. 15, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced the approval of onabotulinumtoxinA (Botox) injection for the prevention of headaches in adult patients with chronic migraines.
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New Love May Reduce Pain
FRIDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers testing newly in love undergraduates found that the activation of reward systems that occurred when the subjects viewed pictures of their loved one helped reduce pain during an experiment; their research was published online Oct. 13 in PLoS ONE.
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Expectations Don't Predict Recovery Time for All Injuries
FRIDAY, Oct. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Recovery expectations appear to predict future recovery among workers filing injury claims for back pain but not for those filing claims for other musculoskeletal conditions, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders & Techniques.
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Fibromyalgia Sufferers May Benefit From Yoga Practice
THURSDAY, Oct. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Yoga might provide an effective counterpart to pharmacotherapy in helping patients cope with and manage fibromyalgia, according to research published in the November issue of Pain.
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Vivitrol Approved to Prevent Opioid Addiction Relapse
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Vivitrol (naltrexone extended release) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat and prevent relapse among opioid-dependent people who have completed a detoxification program.
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Buprenorphine Implants Effective in Opioid Dependence
TUESDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Implanted buprenorphine is an effective alternative for treatment of opioid dependency, resulting in fewer withdrawal symptoms and less treatment drop-out than placebo implants, according to research published in the Oct. 13 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Older Women at Fracture Risk in Spinal Instrumentation Surgery
TUESDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Postmenopausal women who have spinal fusion with instrumentation are at risk of developing fractures at other nearby vertebrae, usually within two years of the surgery, according to a study in the Oct. 1 issue of Spine.
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Somatic Symptom Burden High in Cancer Patients
TUESDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Regardless of cancer type or phase, there is a high prevalence of somatic symptoms in cancer patients with chronic pain or depression, according to research published Oct. 11 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
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Remembered Back Injury Not Predictor for Disc Deterioration
TUESDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Recollection of a previous back injury does not predict accelerated deterioration of spinal discs, according to a study among identical twins with and without reported prior back injuries, which was published in the Oct. 1 issue of Spine.
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Word Choice Influences Patient Perception of Prognosis
MONDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The way clinicians explain a patient's back pain may influence the patient's perceived prognosis and uptake of therapy; sticking with language used in radiology reports may be more helpful than using degenerative terms, such as "wear and tear," according to research published in the Oct. 1 issue of Spine.
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Arthritis Prevalence Nearly 25 Percent in U.S. Adults
FRIDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly a quarter of U.S. adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis and many also have arthritis-attributable activity limitation (AAAL); the prevalence of arthritis is particularly high among obese individuals, according to a report published in the Oct. 8 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Abatacept Found Ineffective for Non-Life-Threatening Lupus
THURSDAY, Oct. 7 (HealthDay News) -- In patients with non-life-threatening systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), abatacept fails to prevent new flares and has a nearly one-in-five rate of serious adverse events (SAEs), according to a study in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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No Single Standard for Faces Pain Scales for Children
MONDAY, Oct. 4 (HealthDay News) -- There is no single faces pain scale for use in children that is superior to the others in all respects, according to an article published online Oct. 4 in Pediatrics.
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DMARDs, Glucocorticoids, Biologics Similar for RA
FRIDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- Treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), glucocorticoids, biologics, or a combination of these agents significantly reduces radiographic evidence of joint destruction, with no advantage seen for patients whose treatment includes biologics, according to research published in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
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FDA Calls for Halt on Marketing of Unapproved Colchicine
FRIDAY, Oct. 1 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered companies manufacturing, distributing, or marketing unapproved single-ingredient oral colchicine to cease doing so.
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