Introduction

.  Morphine sulfate and oxycodone hydrochloride are commonly used for pain management because of their pharmacologic profile, pharmacokinetics, and analgesic potency. However, opioids are associated with a significant adverse event (AE) burden that limits their use in both the acute and the chronic pain settings. Summary.  Co‐administration of opioids demonstrated synergistic analgesia and reduced side effects. Thus, dual‐opioid therapy has the potential to enhance the positive analgesic benefits of opioids, while limiting the burden of opioid‐related AEs. This symposium proceedings was based on presentations at the 13th World Congress on Pain in August 2010. Conclusions.  This program will review the rationale for dual‐opioid therapy based on preclinical findings and data from clinical studies showing the efficacy and tolerability profile of a dual‐opioid formulation when used to treat acute postoperative pain.