IDMC recommends early termination of Phase 3 intramuscular depot aripiprazole trial
September 19, 2017
"For years, investigators have tried to develop an opioid that produced the profound analgesia of morphine, but without the effects on breathing rate," explains Dr. Steven L. Shafer of Columbia University, Editor-in-Chief of Anesthesia & Analgesia. More recently, specific types of drugs have been developed that selectively reverse morphine-induced depression of breathing. Repinotan is the first drug of this type that has proven suitable for studies in humans.
"This is an incredibly exciting development in opioid pharmacology," Dr. Shafer adds. "A drug that blocks the ability of opioids to suppress breathing, while not interfering with the pain relief, would be a huge advance in pain management and patient safety. Unless the drug had other toxicities, such a drug would immediately become the standard of care for post-operative patients receiving opioids."
SOURCE Anesthesia & Analgesia