Caused By Opioid Pain Medicine (NAPSA)—People who suffer from serious medical conditions like osteoarthritis and cancer know that chronic and severe pain from these conditions can make even simple household tasks and everyday activities difficult. To help manage pain, people are often prescribed opioid pain medicines, like morphine. These medicines, known as “opioids,” are well-established and typically considered the mainstay for pain management. But while opioids are often effective to reduce pain, these medicines can result in debilitating side effects that are some- times severe enough to limit their use and interfere with a patient’s pain treatment. One of the most common side effects is constipation, which causes infrequent bowel movements and difficulty passing stools or emptying bowels. Some studies have shown that up to 50 percent of patients taking opioids suffer from constipation. Laxatives, stool softeners, ene- mas or diet alterations can be used to treat constipation. These remedies may not always be helpful and can be inconvenient and impractical. This is why clinical trials looking at new approaches to prevent or treat medical problems like opioid-induced constipation are important. NewClinical Research Study AstraZeneca is sponsoring one such clinical trial known as the KODIAC study, which is evaluating whether an investigational drug may be safe and effective in treating opioidinduced constipation. “Patients taking opioid pain medicines and experiencing consti- A physician can share information abouttrials like the KODIAC study for patients experiencing constipation from opioid pain medicines. pation are encouraged to speak with their physicians about participating in the KODIACstudy,” said Chris Fleischmann, R.N., Study Leader, AstraZeneca. “Participants in this study will have an opportunity to receive research drugtreatment for constipation and standard care, including laxatives.” If you fit the descriptions below, you maybeeligible to participate in thistrial: 18 years or older and live in the United States; Have been taking at least one prescription opioid pain medicine every dayfor at least four weeks; Experiencing constipation. Learn More People who are interested in more information about this trial for themselves or loved ones should visit www.painconstipation study.com or call (866) 320-6955. You can also learn more about the KODIAC study by watching a short video at http://ow.ly/5Sjow. These resources provide helpful information about study eligibility, enrollment requirements and study location sites. 1194403 (07/11)
