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(Correcting headline to clarify results of trial)
(Alliance News) - Indivior PLC said on Friday that research into its painkiller buprenorphine has shown that it reduces respiratory depression and apnoea associated with increasing doses of fentanyl.
The Virginia, US-based pharmaceutical company said the clinical study was designed to assess the interaction of synthetic opioid fentanyl and buprenorphine on respiratory depression, a type of breathing disorder characterised by slow and ineffective breathing.
It evaluated the ability of treatment-relevant concentrations of buprenorphine to prevent respiratory depression and the resultant cessation of breath - apnoea - caused by increasing doses of fentanyl.
The effects were measured by minute ventilation. Minute ventilation is the volume of gas inhaled or exhaled from a person's lungs per minute and is an important factor in respiratory medicine due to its relationship with blood carbon dioxide levels.
The maximum decrease in minute ventilation was nearly 60% less with a steady plasma buprenorphine concentration compared with a placebo, Indivior explained. The risk of experiencing apnoea was also significantly lower with buprenorphine than with a placebo.
Chief Scientific Officer Christian Heidbreder said: "Future research is warranted to assess the competitive interaction of buprenorphine and fentanyl, as well as other illicitly manufactured fentanyl analogs, as we continue to deepen our understanding of buprenorphine as an evidence-based treatment for patients struggling with opioid use disorder."
Shares in Indivior were down 1.6% at 228.40 pence on Friday afternoon in London.
By Heather Rydings; heatherrydings@alliancenews.com
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