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Future Pharmacology
Special Issues
Feature Papers in Future Pharmacology 2026
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Feature Papers in Future Pharmacology 2026

A special issue of Future Pharmacology (ISSN 2673-9879).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 1717

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Schifano

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Psychopharmacology, Drug Misuse and Novel Psychoactive Substances Research Unit, School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire AL10 9AB, UK
Interests: psychopharmacology; addiction; drug misuse; new psychoactive substances
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the founding Editor-in-Chief, I am pleased to announce the collection titled “Feature Papers in Future Pharmacology 2026”. This Feature Paper’s Special Issue aims to collect high-quality papers from excellent scholars around the world that introduce new insights into the scientific development of pharmacological sciences. Both original research articles and comprehensive review papers are welcome. All articles published will immediately be made available worldwide under an open access license.

We are happy to accept the latest results on a range of issues including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Drug design and discovery;
  • Drug metabolism;
  • Molecular/biochemical/cellular pharmacology;
  • Clinical pharmacology;
  • Behavioural pharmacology;
  • Toxicology;
  • Pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics;
  • Biopharmaceuticals.

Prof. Dr. Fabrizio Schifano
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Future Pharmacology is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • drug design and discovery
  • drug metabolism
  • molecular/biochemical/cellular pharmacology
  • clinical pharmacology
  • behavioural pharmacology
  • toxicology
  • pharmacogenetics/pharmacogenomics
  • biopharmaceuticals

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

15 pages, 855 KB  
Review
The Emergence of Fentanyl + Medetomidine Overdose: Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Need for Poly-Drug Reversal Therapeutics
by Robert B. Raffa, Eugene Vortsman, Joseph V. Pergolizzi, Jr., Krista Casazza and Morgan King
Future Pharmacol. 2026, 6(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/futurepharmacol6010011 - 15 Feb 2026
Viewed by 989
Abstract
The overdose mortality landscape has shifted from predominantly opioid exposures to a polysubstance epidemic increasingly driven by illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogs combined with other centrally active agents. Among the co-intoxicants, veterinary α2-adrenoceptor (α2AR) agonists such as xylazine have [...] Read more.
The overdose mortality landscape has shifted from predominantly opioid exposures to a polysubstance epidemic increasingly driven by illicit fentanyl and fentanyl analogs combined with other centrally active agents. Among the co-intoxicants, veterinary α2-adrenoceptor (α2AR) agonists such as xylazine have emerged as clinically confounding adulterants. Recent reports from forensic toxicology, medical examiners, and border/interdiction agencies indicate that medetomidine, a veterinary sedative racemate with the highly selective α2AR agonist enantiomer dexmedetomidine, is increasingly being detected together with fentanyl and its analogs in seized materials and postmortem assays. Prior reviews have covered these aspects. The current review synthesizes current evidence and clinical experience relevant to fentanyl + medetomidine co-exposure-induced respiratory depression—a primary cause of death. We focus on convergent µ-opioid receptor (MOR) and α2AR signaling within key physiological substrates, including respiratory rhythm-generating networks, ascending arousal pathways, chemosensory reflex control of ventilation, and autonomic cardiovascular regulation, integrating mechanistic pharmacology, respiratory and cardiovascular toxicology, emergency-room treatment, and emerging public-health implications. Available evidence supports a model in which combined MOR and α2AR activation produces additive-to-synergistic suppression of ventilation and consciousness, attenuation of hypoxic ventilatory drive and CO2 responsiveness, with marked sympatholysis manifested as bradycardia and hypotension, all of which can persist beyond presumptive opioid reversal with a MOR antagonist. We discuss the implications for prehospital and emergency care. In sum, the increasing detection of medetomidine in the illicit fentanyl supply represents an emerging and potentially high-risk co-exposure pattern that may be only partially naloxone-responsive. Lastly, we highlight potential future pharmacologic countermeasures for polysubstance overdose, such as the BK-channel antagonist ENA-001, which may address naloxone-insensitive ventilatory suppression in opioid-dominant polysubstance overdose. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in Future Pharmacology 2026)
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