Could monoclonal antibodies replace opioids for chronic pain?

During the pandemic, physicians used infusions of monoclonal antibodies to help patients fight off COVID-19 infections. Now, in response to the U.S. opioid crisis, researchers at UC Davis are trying to create monoclonal antibodies that can help fight chronic pain. The research is funded with a $1.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health’s HEAL Initiative, an aggressive effort to speed scientific solutions to stem the national’s opioid crisis.

New Drugs with High Abuse Potential More Likely to Be Approved, Go to Market to Treat Pain

CHICAGO – “Despite the prevalence and societal costs of pain in the United States, investment in pain medication development is low, due in part to poor understanding of the probability of successful development of such medications,” said the authors of a study published Online First in Anesthesiology, the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA).

More than medicine: pain-relief drug delivers choices for mothers in labour

Choice and control are important factors for ensuring a positive childbirth experience, yet until recently, little was known about the impact of alternative administrations of fentanyl – one of the pain relief drugs used during labour– on both mother and baby.

Oh My Aching Back: Do Yoga, Tai Chi or Qigong Help?

About 80 percent of Americans will experience low back pain at some point. Patients are often advised to manage their back pain with exercise and mind-body interventions. But, do they really help? Researchers compared and contrasted yoga, tai chi and qigong, and found them to be effective for treatment of low back pain, reporting positive outcomes such as reduction in pain or psychological distress such as depression and anxiety, reduction in pain-related disability, and improved functional ability.

Other treatments can reduce need for addictive pain medication

Hardly a day goes by without the public being warned about the dangers of opioids. But still, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, more than 130 people die every day of opioid overdose and the problem is getting worse. A Houston Methodist pain specialist says new advancements in pain management are giving patients options.