Oklahoma dropped its lawsuit against OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma in exchange for a National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment in Tulsa.

Researchers silence pain neurons in the mouse spinal cord with injections of botulinum toxins modified to bind to the neurons’ receptors.

Lucemyra is the first non-opioid drug to be approved in the U.S. specifically for this purpose.

The announcement comes after an agency working group recommends against an industry partnership on ethical grounds.

The herbal supplement, deemed an opioid by the FDA, was recently linked to a Salmonella outbreak in 20 states. 

The Scientist speaks with a clinical toxicologist to discuss how the supplement acts in the brain and what the agency's declaration means for research.

Researchers are beginning to tease apart the mechanisms underlying differences in how males and females respond to powerful painkillers.

Dave Thomas, a researcher at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, talks about the harsh truths and frustrating complexity of pain and analgesia.

Aimed at primary care providers, the recommendations encourage non-narcotic alternatives or short-term opioid prescriptions and patient monitoring.