D13 No more pain! The rise of non-narcotic opioids and medicinal marijuana

Tuesday 30 August 2016
14:30-17:30
Hilton Buenos Aires : Pacifico A, 3 hours

Organised by the FIP Hospital Pharmacy Section and the FIP Special Interest Group on Drug Design and Discovery

Simultaneous translation in Spanish


Introduction

Pain is a major public health issue throughout the world. The gap between our increasingly sophisticated knowledge of pain management and its effective application is large and widening.

However, by applying this knowledge, pain relief can move from an aspiration to a universal reality; a human right. Currently in practice, opioids are the main agents used in pain relief, but they are associated with debilitating side effects. The discovery of three different types of opioid receptors (now classified as mu, delta and kappa types) has fuelled recent developments of non-narcotic opioid analgesics. Additionally, numerous opioid-sparing agents have entered the clinic, offering patients alternative treatment options. In particular, the analgesic effects of medicinal marijuana have gained popularity across the globe. This session will integrate ethical, scientific and patient-centred viewpoints of contemporary pain management to answer the question of how pain relief without side effects can become a reality.

Learning objectives

At the conclusion of this knowledge-based session, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify pain relief as a human right and what this means for pharmacists
  2. Outline the development of opioid drugs and non-narcotic opioids
  3. Explain the evidence on opioids in chronic pain
  4. Describe the use of cannabis in pain relief and how its legalisation affects pharmacists. 

Chairs

Takuya Kumamoto (Musashino University, Japan) and Ana Hincapie (University of Cincinnati, USA)

Programme

14:30

1)      Is pain relief a human right?

Betty Chaar (The University of Sydney, Australia)

15:10 

2)      The science and the development of non-addictive opioid receptor agonists

Hiroshi Nagase (Tsukuba University, Japan)

15:50 – 16:10 Coffee/tea break

16:10

3)      Latest pharmacotherapy trends in chronic pain

Jane Pruemer (University of Cincinnati, USA)

16:50

4)      Cannabis and methadone — Pharmacists’ experiences in Uruguay

Marta Vazquez (Universidad de la República, Uruguay)