• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, August 23, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

Improving treatment for opioid use disorder

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
December 14, 2023
in Health
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

In the fatal world of opioid use disorder (OUD), pharmacotherapy, or using a prescribed medication to treat drug dependence, has emerged as the gold standard of treatment. Among the trio of FDA-approved medications to treat OUD, buprenorphine is the newest highly effective drug that can suppress and reduce cravings for opioids. It is also the first medication that physicians can prescribe without requiring a special waiver from the DEA, enabling outpatient use and substantially increasing treatment accessibility. 

Ming Hu, Diana S-L. Chow Endowed Professor of Drug Discovery and Development, at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy

Credit: University of Houston

In the fatal world of opioid use disorder (OUD), pharmacotherapy, or using a prescribed medication to treat drug dependence, has emerged as the gold standard of treatment. Among the trio of FDA-approved medications to treat OUD, buprenorphine is the newest highly effective drug that can suppress and reduce cravings for opioids. It is also the first medication that physicians can prescribe without requiring a special waiver from the DEA, enabling outpatient use and substantially increasing treatment accessibility. 

Despite its widespread usage, with 1 million buprenorphine prescriptions filled in 2018, it is not without side effects. When taken sublingually (under the tongue), buprenorphine has been linked to dental health problems. While the exposure of oral fluids to opioid analogs is well-known, this lesser-known side effect has recently raised serious concerns. 

“In January of 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning, emphasizing that the use of sublingual buprenorphine formulations is linked to serious dental health problems,” said Ming Hu, Diana S-L. Chow Endowed Professor of Drug Discovery and Development, at the UH College of Pharmacy. Hu and his team have secured $1.4 million from the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research to address this serious side effect. 

Hu is optimistic that his team can unravel the reasons behind excessive saliva exposure to buprenorphine following sublingual use. By gaining a comprehensive understanding behind excessive oral exposure to buprenorphine, the team’s goal will be to develop a countermeasure that addresses the dental health problems associated with the use of oral buprenorphine formulations. 

“It poses a significant concern for individuals with opioid use disorder as the available pharmacotherapy options for this population are very limited,” said Hu. 

Hu’s team is comprised of multiple-PI for this grant, Dr. Bing-Yang Wang, UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry; and from the UH College of Pharmacy, Rashim Singh in the Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences and Douglas Thornton, director of the PREMIER Center. 



Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Prenatal Exposure to Urban Heat Dome Linked to Behavioral Issues in Children

Prenatal Exposure to Urban Heat Dome Linked to Behavioral Issues in Children

August 23, 2025
blank

Harnessing the Power of the Non-Coding Genome to Advance Precision Medicine

August 23, 2025

WTAP Drives DNA Repair via m6A-FOXM1 in Liver Cancer

August 22, 2025

Unraveling SOX2: Its Crucial Role in Prostate Cancer Progression and Therapy Resistance

August 22, 2025

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    141 shares
    Share 56 Tweet 35
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    114 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    81 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • Modified DASH Diet Reduces Blood Sugar Levels in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes, Clinical Trial Finds

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Weather’s Impact on Anopheles Mosquito Populations in Lagos

Ghost Spider’s Maternal Care vs. New Fly Species

DWI-Guided vs. MRI-Based IMRT in Head & Neck

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.