Citation

Schneider JP, Matthews M, Jamison RN. CNS Drugs 2010; 24(10): 805-810.

Affiliation

Arizona Community Physicians, Tucson, Arizona, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Adis International)

DOI

10.2165/11584260-000000000-00000

PMID

20839893

Abstract

About one in every three individuals will experience chronic pain in their lifetime, and opioids are known to be an effective means to treat this condition. Much attention, however, has been given to the fact that prescription opioid analgesics are some of the most frequently abused drugs, and misuse is prominent in patients with chronic pain. Several new opioid formulations that are designed to prevent or deter the abuse of opioids are currently in development, and two have been approved for marketing (morphine sulphate co-formulated with naltrexone hydrochloride [Embeda®] and a new formulation of the extended-release oxycodone [OxyContin®]). In this article, we review the various types of abuse-deterrent and tamper-resistant formulations in clinical development. We believe that continued advances in opioid formulations can help mitigate risk for those with legitimate need for pain control, but only if used rationally in the context of good clinical practice.

Language: en