Prescribing the Proper
Pain Medication
Oxycodone has long been the go-to
option when it comes to prescribing
pain medication. At any given time,
more than 10 million people in the United
States have a prescription for the drug,
amounting to $2.5 billion in sales per
year. But for some, oxycodone provides
minimal pain relief.
This situation may sound improbable, but
it’s a very real problem for many people
dealing with acute or chronic pain. In
fact, nearly 25 percent of the population
is classiied as poor metabolizers,
meaning they are unable to process
oxycodone into its active form—either
due to genetics or interactions with
other medications. These patients often
ind themselves returning to the doctor
pleading their case for an alternate
prescription. The challenge is that it’s
extremely dificult for physicians to verify
the patient’s claim—until now.
Recognizing the impact of this problem,
researchers at the University of Florida
(UF) teamed up with Ocala-based
Pinnacle Laboratory Services to develop
a solution to help doctors prescribe
proper pain medication.
With support from The Corridor’s
Matching Grants Research Program, UF
and Pinnacle developed a computer
model that identiies patients as poor,
intermediate or rapid metabolizers of
oxycodone. Utilizing a combination
of urine- and genetic-testing, the
technology could provide doctors
valuable information that validates the
need for [