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NIDA Home > Newsroom > News Release    

Pain, Opioids, and Addiction: An Urgent Problem for Doctors and Patients

For Release January 31, 2007

Meeting is first at NIH to bring together clinicians and researchers on the issue of opioid addiction and pain treatment.

For the first time, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, will bring together the research and clinical practice communities to draw attention to the growing problem of prescription opioid misuse by patients with chronic, nonmalignant pain conditions. Currently, the most powerful treatments available for most forms of pain are opioids. However, opioid treatment can produce negative health consequences, such as intoxication, impairment and physical dependence, and may result in opioid abuse and addiction. The goal of this two-day meeting is to inform researchers and practitioners about the state of the science of the intersection of addiction and pain management. The meeting is co-sponsored by the American Medical Association and the NIH Pain Consortium.

WHAT:Pain, Opioids, and Addiction: An Urgent Problem for Doctors and Patients
WHEN:Monday, March 5, 2007
8:15 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, March 6, 2007
8:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
WHERE:Natcher Conference Center
National Institutes of Health
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20892
WHO:Featured Speakers:

Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, Director, NIH
Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director, NIDA

A full agenda and speaker list is available at: http://conferences.masimax.com/opioid/index.cfm


The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports most of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to ensure the rapid dissemination of research information and its implementation in policy and practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and further information on NIDA research can be found on the NIDA web site at http://www.drugabuse.gov.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research Agency - includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov



For more information about any item in this Release Contact:

  • Dorie Hightower
    301-496-1545
    Sara Rosario Wilson
    301-594-6145
  • Main Press Office:
    301-443-6245
  • Contacto en Español:
    301-594-6145

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National Institutes of Health logo_Department of Health and Human Services Logo The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) , a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Questions? See our Contact Information. Last updated on Wednesday, May 16, 2007. The U.S. government's official web portal