As Janssen Pharmaceutica was formed by Paul Janssen, Fentanyl was launched into the market as a new and very potent pain relieving agent. According to the estimates Fentanyl is some 100 times more potent than common opioids already available in the market. It has been extensively used to relieve pain associated with cancers. There was one impediment in the usage of the drug for pain management – its half life was just 7 hours, making it necessary to repeat the dosage. To overcome the difficulty, Fentanyl transdermal was introduced with different concentrations to suit a wide variety of population.
Following the success of transdermal patches, other routes of delivery were discovered. Today Fentanyl is used as patches, as intravenous solution, as Fentanyl lollipops and buccal patches. Recently Fentanyl lollipops hit the news as a woman was found to have stolen the lollipops and sentenced for the crime.
Fentanyl is commonly used to numb the pain before surgical procedures. It is an opium derivative and shares the common features of all opioids. Fentanyl has very wide abuse potential. Most commonly opium addicts use Fentanyl in powdered form to snort the substance. However Fentanyl is hundreds of times more powerful than common heroin and hence produces more pronounced CNS depression.
Much of the illegal Fentanyl enters U.S through Mexican border and is sold through the street gangs. Fentanyl is scheduled drug and its usage and sale is strictly monitored.
There is some research connecting opioid usage for pain relief to the increased angiogenesis in tumors of cancer patients.
Fentanyl
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