The state of Ohio filed a lawsuit against opioid-makers this week, alleging that the companies produced misleading marketing schemes to convince doctors and patients that opioids were not addictive. Ohio isn’t alone – Mississippi and West Virginia have filed similar cases against major players in the pharmaceutical industry. Purdue Pharma, Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ), Endo […]
Pain Management
Mallinckrodt faces probe over price hikes for injectable pain-killer
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) penned a letter to Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals (NYSE:MNK) last week, probing for details about the company’s pricing strategies for its injectable pain-killer, Ofirmev. Mallinckrodt acquired Ofirmev in 2014, when it bought Cadence Pharmaceuticals in a $1.4 billion deal. In May of that year, Mallinckrodt hiked the pain-killer’s list price from $14.75 per vial to […]
Revive Therapeutics, University of Wisconsin-Madison ink deal for cannabinoid drug delivery tech
Revive Therapeutics (OTC:RVVTF) said today that it inked a research agreement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison to develop a drug delivery technology for cannibinoids. The research program, led by Jess Reed, is slated to evaluate chitosan-tannin composite biomaterial as a delivery mechanism for cannabinoids. Therapeutic biomaterials made from a composite of chitosan and tannin include […]
Liquidia touts Phase I data for sustained-release post-surgical pain reliever
Liquidia Technologies touted initial data from its LIQ865 Phase I trial, which evaluated its sustained-delivery formulation of bupivacaine for post-surgical pain relief. The trial was the 1st evaluation of the company’s formulation in humans. Researchers assessed the safety, pharmacokinetic profile and pharmacodynamic response of a single-ascending dose in healthy adult males. Initial data showed that […]
Anika touts Phase III data for Cingal knee therapy
Anika Therapeutics (NSDQ:ANIK) touted data today from a Phase III trial for its Cingal hyaluronic acid-corticosteroid combination viscosupplement as a treatment for osteoarthritis-related knee pain. The data showed that treatment with Cingal yielded better immediate and short-term pain relief compared to hyaluronic acid alone and better pain and stiffness relief through 26 weeks compared to saline. […]
Study: Rivanna’s anesthesia placement device boosts accuracy, efficacy
Rivanna Medical touted data from 3 trials today showing that its Accuro automatic spinal navigation system boosts the accuracy of epidural and spinal anesthesia placement compared to traditional techniques, even for residents-in-training. Accuro is a pocket-sized ultrasound system that automatically detects spinal midline, epidural depth and trajectory. One trial at the University of Virginia Medical […]
Aptar Pharma’s nasal spray compliance device wins EMA nod
Aptar Pharma said today that the European Medicines Agency approved its electronic nasal lockout device, e-Lockout. The device is the 1st and only fully-integrated electronic nasal drug delivery device to be approved by a European regulatory authority, according to the company. The e-Lockout device is a part of a multi-year development deal with Takeda Pharmaceuticals […]
Medtronic updates 2011 battery warning on Synchromed II implantable drug pumps
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) this month updated physicians on a warning it 1st issued in July 2011 about the batteries in its SynchroMed II implantable drug infusion pump. The pumps are used primarily to treat chronic pain or severe spinal or cerebral spasticity. The issue, 1st reported in July 2009, relates to the formation of a filmy substance within the […]
AcelRx touts data from Dsuvia pain relief trials
AcelRx Pharmaceuticals (NSDQ:ACRX) touted efficacy and safety data today for its pain reliever, Dsuvia. The company’s lead drug candidate is composed of 30 sufentanil tablets delivered sublingually using a disposable, pre-filled single-dose applicator. Dsuvia is investigational and not approved in any country. The 4 late-phase studies enrolled 480 patients total. In 2 randomized studies, enrolled patients underwent bunionectomy […]
FDA panel rules that benefits of Endo’s Opana opioid no longer outweigh risks
An FDA advisory panel ruled yesterday that the benefits of Endo Pharmaceutical‘s opioid painkiller, Opana ER, no longer outweigh its risks. The painkiller has been linked to a 2015 HIV outbreak in Indiana after people addicted to opioids shared needles while injecting Opana. The panel voted 18 to 8 that the drug’s benefits do not […]
