Drug Database
MO

morphine (Intramorph / Duramorph / Epimorph)

✓ Approved

Pfizer, Inc. · OPRD1 · Small Molecule

What is morphine?

morphine is a small molecule developed by Pfizer, Inc.. It is approved for therapeutic indications via injectable (others) or intraspinal/intrathecal injection.

Drug Profile

Brand NamesIntramorph, Duramorph, Epimorph
CompanyPfizer, Inc.
Drug ClassSmall Molecule
Molecular TargetOPRD1, OPRK1, OPRM1
RouteInjectable (Others), Intraspinal/Intrathecal Injection
StatusApproved
Sources: ClinicalTrials.gov, Pfizer, Inc.

Mechanism of Action

Molecular Targets

morphine acts on 3 molecular targets:

OPRD1opioid receptor delta 1 (DOR, OPRD)
OPRK1opioid receptor kappa 1 (KOR1, OPRK)
OPRM1opioid receptor mu 1 (MOR1, LMOR)
Want deeper analysis?Noah AI can explain complex mechanisms and compare to similar drugs.

Therapeutic Indications

morphine is developed for 1 unique indication across 1 therapeutic area.

Therapeutic AreaConditionPhase
Gastrointestinal disordersAbdominal pain✓ Approved

Related Research Articles

PubMedMedicine2026-09-19

Impact of a standardized oral care protocol on oral mucositis severity in leukemia patients receiving induction chemotherapy.

Yu Fen F, Mao Tian T

This study aimed to evaluate whether a standardized oral care protocol is associated with reduced oral mucositis (OM) severity among leukemia patients receiving induction chemotherapy. Baseline characteristics were comparable between groups. Severe OM occurred in 17/90 (18.9%) in the protocol group versus 30/90 (33.3%) with usual care (odds ratio 0.46; P = .027); the association remained significant after adjustment (adjusted odds ratio 0.50; P = .044). OM duration was shorter with the protocol (median 6 vs 8 days; P = .003), with faster time to resolution (14 vs 16 days; P = .04). The protocol group reported lower maximum pain (median 3 vs 5; P < .001), less opioid use (44.4% vs 60.0%; P = .036), lower morphine milligram equivalents (60 vs 120 mg; P = .006), and reduced parenteral nutrition use (13.3% vs 24.4%; P = .049). Febrile neutropenia, blood culture positivity, intensive care unit transfer, and length of stay did not differ significantly. A standardized oral care protocol was associated with reduced severe OM and meaningful improvements in OM duration and symptom burden during leukemia induction chemotherapy. Prospective studies are warranted to confirm effectiveness and implementation fidelity. We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study including adult leukemia inpatients receiving induction chemotherapy. Patients were grouped by exposure to a standardized oral care protocol with per-shift documentation versus usual care (90 vs 90). OM was graded each shift using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5.0 from induction day 1 to hospital discharge. The primary outcome was peak OM severity; severe OM was defined as CTCAE grade ≥ 3. Secondary outcomes included OM incidence (CTCAE ≥ 1), time to onset, duration, time to resolution, maximum oral pain score (0-10 Numeric Rating Scale), opioid use and cumulative morphine milligram equivalents, parenteral nutrition use, febrile neutropenia (temperature > 38.3°C with neutropenia), blood culture positivity, intensive care unit transfer, and length of stay. Group comparisons used Pearson χ2/Fisher exact tests and appropriate parametric/nonparametric tests. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between protocol exposure and severe OM.

PMID 42760741
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PubMedJournal of neurosurgery. Spine2026-09-18

Comparison of liposomal bupivacaine and modified cocktail analgesia for postoperative pain control after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion: a prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial.

Li Junhu J, Yao Mei M, Chen Jin J, Yang Zhiqiang Z et al.

Postoperative incisional pain remains a major clinical challenge after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF). Liposomal bupivacaine (LB) and modified cocktail analgesia have shown analgesic efficacy in other surgical settings, but their comparative value in TLIF remains unclear. This study compared the analgesic effectiveness of LB versus a modified cocktail regimen administered via an erector spinae plane block (ESPB) in patients undergoing TLIF. In this prospective, double-blind, randomized controlled trial, 181 patients were screened and 118 eligible patients were randomized equally to the LB group or the modified cocktail group (n = 59 each). In both groups, the study drug was administered via ESPB at the surgical level. The LB group received 266 mg LB diluted to 80 ml. The modified cocktail group received ropivacaine, epinephrine, dexamethasone, magnesium sulfate, and sodium bicarbonate. All other perioperative management was identical. The primary outcome was total postoperative rescue morphine consumption. Secondary outcomes included time to first rescue analgesia; 24-hour morphine consumption; number of rescue analgesia events; patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) activations and consumption; visual analog scale (VAS) pain scores at rest and during activity at 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 hours; time to first ambulation; ambulation distance; length of hospital stay; and postoperative complications. The LB group required significantly less total postoperative rescue morphine than the modified cocktail group (mean 16.2 [SD 11.6] vs 22.6 [SD 12.0] mg, p = 0.020). No significant differences were noted in the median time to first rescue analgesia (20.6 [IQR 8.3-36.6] vs 10.0 [IQR 3.2-27.9] hours, p = 0.074), mean morphine consumption within 24 hours (7.1 [SD 2.5] vs 7.2 [SD 2.5] mg, p = 0.894), or mean number of rescue analgesia events (2.4 [SD 1.4] vs 3.3 [SD 2.1] events, p = 0.058). The LB group had markedly fewer PCA activations (mean 7.3 [SD 6.4] vs 17.6 [SD 10.1] activations, p < 0.001) and lower total PCA drug use (mean 33.4 [SD 23.1] vs 62.8 [SD 27.8] ml, p < 0.001). Significant intergroup differences in VAS pain scores appeared only at 24 and 36 hours postoperatively. Both LB and the modified cocktail regimen administered via ESPB effectively reduced early incisional pain after TLIF. The modified cocktail provided satisfactory analgesia within 24 hours at substantially lower cost, whereas LB offered more prolonged analgesia up to 36 hours, with reduced opioid consumption and PCA demand. Chinese Clinical Trial Registry no.: ChiCTR2400089275 (https://www.chictr.org.cn/index.html).

PMID 42759062
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PubMedJournal of substance use and addiction treatment2026-09-18

Association between medications for opioid use disorder and child removals.

Quast Troy T, Bright Melissa M, Lofwall Michelle R MR, Delcher Chris C

Buprenorphine and methadone are effective medication treatments for opioid use disorder (MOUD), but their population effects on child welfare are unclear. MOUD may help parents in recovery better care for their families and reduce the risk of children being removed from their homes. The rate of child removals by state Child Protective Services was estimated as a function of per-capita purchases of methadone and buprenorphine for OUD using data for U.S. counties from 2010 to 2019. The estimates were estimated for all counties and, to account for baseline differences in OUD prevalence, were also stratified by quintiles of per-capita opioid analgesic purchases in 2010. A one standard deviation increase in milligrams per capita of buprenorphine for OUD treatment predicted a decrease of 4.9% (p = .008) in the removal rate due to parental neglect. A significant association between the per capita amounts for buprenorphine for OUD or methadone and the all-cause removal rate was not observed. Stratifying by the baseline level of per-capita morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) for pain management, the negative association between buprenorphine for OUD and removals due to parental neglect was present in the first (lowest) and third quintiles. For methadone, there were negative associations between removals due to neglect and removals due to parental drug use in the highest quintile of baseline MMEs for pain management. Our findings suggest an important population-level benefit of MOUD that may vary according to the prevalence of OUD and the medication. Clinicians and policymakers should take steps to ensure that OUD treatment is accessible to parents who may benefit.

PMID 42759706
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PubMedThe Korean journal of pain2026-09-18

Analgesic effect of intraoperative sufentanil on postoperative pain in patients undergoing robot-assisted urologic surgery: a retrospective propensity score-matched analysis.

Lee Soowon S, Ryu Jung-Hee JH, Jeon Young-Tae YT, Oh Ah-Young AY et al.

Robot-assisted urologic surgery is associated with reduced intraoperative bleeding and shortened hospital stays; however, postoperative pain remains concerning. Thus, the authors investigated whether intraoperative sufentanil is more effective than remifentanil in reducing postoperative pain and analgesic consumption. Patients undergoing robot-assisted urologic surgery (March 2023 to March 2024) were divided into the sufentanil or remifentanil groups and matched by propensity score. The primary outcome was the distribution of pain severity after surgery. Secondary outcomes included pain scores and rescue analgesic consumption. Among 832 eligible patients, 194 were matched from each group. The distribution of pain severity after surgery was significantly different between groups (rank-biserial correlation -0.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.43 to -0.24; P < 0.001). The sufentanil group had more patients with no/mild pain (27.8% vs. 4.6%, risk difference [RD] 23.2%, 95% CI 16.2% to 30.2%; P < 0.001) and fewer patients with severe pain (32.5% vs. 57.2%, RD -24.7%, 95% CI -34.3% to -15.2%; P < 0.001). Immediate postoperative pain score was lower with sufentanil (6 [3, 7] vs. 7 [6, 8], Hodges-Lehmann estimator [HL estimator] -1, 95% CI -2 to -1; P < 0.001). During the 48-hour postoperative period, the sufentanil group required significantly lower opioid rescue analgesic consumption (13.3 [5, 22.5] vs. 20 [10, 29.6] mg of morphine-equivalent dose, HL estimator -5 mg, 95% CI -6.7 to -2.5 mg; P < 0.001). Intraoperative sufentanil was associated with lower postoperative pain and analgesic consumption than was remifentanil in patients undergoing robot-assisted urologic surgery.

PMID 42754826
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PubMedArthroplasty today2026-09-18

Medial Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Is Associated With Significant Reduction in Pain and Opioid Prescribing Patterns Compared to Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 9595 Knees.

Neitzke Colin C CC, Bhatti Pravjit P, Lan Ranqing R, Mayman David J DJ et al.

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and medial unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (mUKA) are successful operations to treat knee osteoarthritis. While mUKA is associated with less postoperative pain, there is a paucity of literature exploring postoperative opioid consumption and prescribing patterns between these procedures. The objective of this study was to evaluate in-hospital opioid consumption and postoperative opioid prescribing patterns, in milligram morphine equivalents (MMEs), between patients undergoing primary unilateral mUKA vs TKA. A single-institution retrospective review of patients undergoing primary mUKA or TKA from 2019 to 2022 was performed. Patients were excluded if they lacked 90-day follow-up, used narcotics preoperatively, had a history of anxiety/depression, or underwent additional procedures within 90 days. Multivariable regression analysis assessed inpatient MME consumption, as well as discharge +90-day total MME prescribing patterns. A total of 9595 patients were analyzed (720 mUKA; 8875 TKA). The mUKA cohort had an adjusted length of stay 25.4 hours shorter than the TKA cohort (P < .001). The mUKA cohort was associated with consuming 0.17 MMEs/hour fewer while inpatient (P = .005). Regression analysis found mUKA to be associated with 275.4 fewer MMEs in the first 90 days (P < .001) when combining discharge plus 90-day refill MMEs. In this large contemporary series, mUKA was associated with significantly shorter length of stay, statistically significant but clinically similar hourly inpatient MME consumption, and decreased 90-day MME prescribing patterns compared to TKA. These findings highlight favorable perioperative opioid and resource utilization associated with mUKA within its established indications and may contribute to patient counseling regarding expected postoperative recovery.

PMID 42757086
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PubMedBMJ open2026-09-18

Safety of short-term non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use in the postoperative setting in paediatric patients with chronic kidney disease: protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled trial.

Xiang Alice H AH, Hwang Catalina K CK, Clennon Emily E, To Thuytien T et al.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are a key component of multimodal analgesia in paediatric surgical care but are often avoided in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) due to concerns for nephrotoxicity. This trial aims to evaluate the safety of short-term NSAID use in paediatric patients with mild-to-moderate CKD undergoing inpatient urological surgery. This is a multicentre, double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial evaluating short-term NSAID use in paediatric patients with CKD stages 2-3a after urological surgeries requiring admission. This study is being conducted at two academic paediatric urology departments in the USA. Patients aged >18 months will be randomised 1:1 to receive ketorolac/ibuprofen or placebo for ≤5 days postoperatively. The primary outcome is acute kidney injury (AKI) as defined according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes criteria based on serum creatinine trends and urine output. Secondary outcomes are postoperative pain scores and opioid use (reported as morphine equivalents/kg/day). Fisher's exact test will compare AKI rates between groups. The recruitment goal of 164 participants provides 80% power to detect a 20% absolute increase in AKI incidence (baseline AKI rate of 15% based on prior studies, two-sided testing). This study has been approved by the Colorado Multiple Institutional Review Board (COMIRB #24-1252) and will be conducted in accordance with institutional ethical guidelines. Written informed consent will be obtained from a parent or legal guardian for all participants, and child assent will be obtained when developmentally appropriate and required by institutional policy. Study findings will be disseminated through presentation at scientific meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals. NCT06860711.

PMID 42760073
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