Opioid painkillers have long been the gold standard for severe pain, but they come with a terrible dark side: They are the main culprits in a prescription drug abuse crisis that has killed thousands across the nation and spawned a resurgence of heroin.
Scientists are closing in on creating medicines that could relieve severe, chronic pain without getting people hooked – raising hopes as well as skepticism among those fighting drug abuse.
Connecticut-based Cara Therapeutics recently released research showing its opioid drug is far less likely to cause patients to feel high than a control medicine considered to have a low potential for abuse. Bob Twillman, deputy executive director of policy and advocacy for the American Academy of Pain Management, said he can envision Cara's drug eventually being prescribed instead of commonly abused painkillers such as oxycodone.
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