What Does the Future of Pain Medicine Look Like?
With minimal pharmacological treatments coming to market for chronic pain, researchers have explored new technologies for advancing pain treatment across the globe.
Throughout the entire 21st century, the treatment of chronic and acute pain has faced controversy because of a lack in pharmacological options to improve patients’ symptoms. With suzetrigine’s 2025 approval being the first in over 26 years, research on non-pharmacological interventions to alleviate pain has garnered increased focus because of the innovation among new technology.
“We don't have many new pain medications on the market,” said Chris Robinson, MD, PhD. “In terms of interventional treatments, we have a lot of them.”
Robinson is Director of Pain and Headache Rounds at Harvard-Massachusetts General Hospital and is a section editor with the Journal of Pain Research. On the latest episode of Over the Counter, he caught up with Drug Topics to discuss an article that he co-authored titled “The Future of Pain Medicine: Emerging Technologies, Treatments, and Education.”
“Someday, I would love to cure pain, but I think we have to understand what is pain, why it's there, and not have our hopes up that we think we can get 100% pain relief,” continued Robinson. “Our bodies do degenerate, and we have to understand that. My goal, and especially with these newer technologies, is to use it to mitigate pain in the present moment.”
Listen to our full-length conversation with Robinson as he discusses multiple new technologies that are breaking through within areas of pain medicine. From novel therapeutic options like psychedelics to increasingly familiar tech like artificial intelligence, many interventions for treating chronic are being explored, while pharmacological alternatives are failing to keep up.
Stay tuned for weekly podcast episodes on Over the Counter every Thursday afternoon. Check out our previous episode with Crystal Zhou, PharmD, APh, AHSCP, BCACP, Lead Pharmacist with the Cut Hypertension Program.
Pharmacy practice is always changing. Stay ahead of the curve: Sign up for our free Drug Topics newsletter and get the latest drug information, industry trends, and patient care tips, straight to your inbox.
