Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1963
Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.
Publication type: Journal Article
Ripamonti C, Bianchi M.
The use of methadone for cancer pain.
Hematol Oncol Clin North Am 2002 Jun; 16:(3):543-55
Abstract:
Methadone is not a new analgesic drug [69]. Several studies have demonstrated that methadone is a valid alternative to morphine, hydromorphone, and fentanyl for the treatment of cancer-related pain, and extensive reviews on the subject have been published in recent years [10,23,25,64,70,71]. Most people involved in pain therapy, however, are not well informed about the properties of methadone. The authors believe that the low cost of methadone paradoxically contributes to the limited knowledge of its characteristics and to the restricted therapeutic use of this drug. The low cost of methadone means there is little financial incentive for pharmaceutical companies to invest in research or to disseminate scientific information. Unfortunately, the lack of scientific information from pharmaceutical companies frequently results in a lack of knowledge on the part of physicians. Unless the existing approach changes, both culturally and politically, ignorance about methadone will persist among medical experts. The low cost of methadone, rather than being an advantage, will result in the limited exploitation of an effective drug.
Keywords:
Analgesics, Opioid/chemistry
Analgesics, Opioid/economics
Analgesics, Opioid/pharmacology
Analgesics, Opioid/therapeutic use*
Attitude of Health Personnel
Biological Availability
Child
Clinical Protocols
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Drug Administration Schedule
Drug Costs
Drug Industry/economics
Drug Information Services
Drug Interactions
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Information Dissemination
Metabolic Clearance Rate
Methadone/chemistry
Methadone/economics
Methadone/pharmacology
Methadone/therapeutic use*
Morphine/pharmacology
Morphine/therapeutic use
Neoplasms/complications*
Pain/diagnosis
Pain/drug therapy*
Pain/etiology*
Palliative Care/methods
Patient Selection
Treatment Outcome
