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Updated: Nov 12, 2025

Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Novel treatments for chronic pain: moving beyond opioids
Joseph B O'Brien1, David L Roman2
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, College of Pharmacy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
Abstract:
It is essential that safe and effective treatment options be available to patients suffering from chronic pain. The emergence of an opioid epidemic has shaped public opinions and created stigmas surrounding the use of opioids for the management of pain. This reality, coupled with high risk of adverse effects from chronic opioid use, has led chronic pain patients and their healthcare providers to utilize nonopioid treatment approaches. In this review, we will explore a number of cellular reorganizations that are associated with the development and progression of chronic pain. We will also discuss the safety and efficacy of opioid and nonopioid treatment options for chronic pain. Finally, we will review the evidence for adenylyl cyclase type 1 (AC1) as a novel target for the treatment of chronic pain.
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