News 

Illinois recently legalized medical cannabis as a substitute for prescription pain killers. APS Director-at-Large, Dr. Mark Wallace, adds his research and experience to the discussion.

The NIH Common Fund’s Acute to Chronic Pain Signatures program aims to understand the biological characteristics underlying the transition from acute to chronic pain and what makes some people susceptible and others resilient to the development of chronic pain.

Applications are due October 24, 2018.

The Wall Street Journal reported on August 16 that President Trump asked Attorney General Jeff Sessions to file a major lawsuit against some drug companies.

Read a summary of the key findings from the HHS report on opioid use in Medicare.

The Trump Administration has proposed that U.S. drugmakers cut production quotas of the six most abused opioids by 10 percent next year.

The Trump administration could soon provide more guidance for doctors on how to safely limit prescription painkillers following complaints that the national crackdown on opioids has created barriers to treatment for patients with chronic pain.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb gives a statement on new steps to advance the development of evidence-based, indication-specific guidelines to help guide appropriate prescribing of opioid analgesics.

The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) proposes to establish the 2019 aggregate production quotas for controlled substances in schedules I and II of the Controlled Substances Act and assessment of annual needs for the list I chemicals ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine.

Find out more about the NIH primer presented as a poster at the APS meeting to learn about the scientific rationale for including SABV in basic, preclinical, and clinical pain research.

APS Past President Dr. Roger Fillingim talks about the importance of identifying why pain exists for a patient rather than where it exists.

Are you seeking to advance your skills in pain management or palliative care, or do you know of a colleague who is? The ASHP Foundation is now accepting applications for the Advanced Pain Management and Palliative Care Traineeship.

While most of us have been preoccupied with opioid-related legislation, the House and Senate appropriations processes are slowly chugging forward, and NIH appears to be well funded in fiscal year 2019.

As part of the HEAL (Helping to End Addiction Long-term) Initiative, the National Institute of Health (NIH) will support research on how chronic pain develops and on new treatments to alleviate chronic pain.

In a lengthy public statement issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 9, Commissioner Scott Gottlieb pledged: “While we work to ensure appropriate and rational prescribing of opioids, we won’t lose sight of the needs of Americans living with serious chronic pain or coping with pain at the end of life. They, too, face significant challenges.

Eight senators submitted a letter to Attorney General Sessions Sessions regarding the status of 26 open applications to manufacture marijuana for research purposes.

APS President Dr. William Maixner and APS Board Member Dr. John Markman speak to NPR on how to talk to your doctor about pain.

Read the newly released APS statement on research, funding, and opioids.

A recent study found that patients who were educated on the neuroscience of pain and persisted in challenging physical therapy despite their chronic pain had better mental and physical health, and less disability than the standard treatment. The researchers conclude that staying active despite the pain can result in overall better health – including the pain itself.

APS Director-at-Large, Dr. Mark Wallace, appears in an article that reports on the positive impact of medical marijuana use among seniors.

The Alan Edwards Fellowship in Clinical Pain Research is a training opportunity for health care professionals already possessing an MD or PhD who are interested in pursuing original clinical research in the field of pain medicine with the team at the AEPMU.