Litigation

I. Introduction

Opiates are primarily used for treatment of pain. Opiates join with opiate receptors in the body and provide analgesia. Morphine is considered the primary opiate and the other opiates are compared to Morphine for potency and pharmacokinetics. Opiate receptors are throughout the body and a primary site of opiate induced action occurs in the brain. Hardman & Limbird, Goodman & Gilman’s The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 569-620 (10th ed 2001).

The primary opiates include morphine, methadone, hydrocodone and oxycodone. Opiates therapy may be administered in tablet form by mouth. This is usually the route of therapy for non- malignant pain. However, therapy can also be provided by patches, such as Duragesic patches which release the opiate fentanyl. Also, opiates can be administered intravenously in a hospital setting, usually for malignant pain. Additionally, opiates can be administered by an intrathecal pump directly into the spinal cord for outpatient treatment of spinal pain. Most of the cases ..