June 20--June 26, 1998

With Focus On Pain Relief, American Pharmed Labs Recruits New Expertise (6/25/98)

American Pharmed Labs, Inc., a pharmaceutical company focusing on innovative pain relief therapies, this week announced the creation of a medical advisory board composed of nationally prominent pain specialists who will provide APL with guidance on developing clinical trials and obtaining regulatory approvals for its emerging products. (Source: Business Wire)

Cytogen Gets Canada OK For Bone Pain Drug (6/24/98)

Cytogen Corp. said this week that it has received approval from the Therapeutic Products Program of Health Canada to market Quadramet in Canada. Quadramet is indicated for the relief of bone pain in cancer patients with multiple osteoblastic skeletal metastases confirmed by positive radionuclide bone scan. (Source: Reuters)

Study On RayMedica's Promising Treatment For Diseased Spinal Discs Completed -- Another Already Underway In Germany (6/24/98)

Patients in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia suffering from chronic and debilitating low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease have now joined a growing group of clinical study participants who have been successfully implanted with the RayMedica PDN^(TM) Prosthetic Disc Nucleus. (Source: RayMedica, Inc. via PR Newswire)

Pain Killer Duract Withdrawn From Market (6/23/98)

The prescription pain reliever Duract (bromfenac sodium capsules) was voluntarily withdrawn from the market this week after it was found to cause severe liver failure in patients, resulting in eight liver transplants and four deaths. All but one of the 12 cases involved patients who used Duract for more than 10 days, the maximum recommended treatment period, according to a statement released by the manufacturer,  Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, the St. Davids, Pennsylvania-based division of American Home Products. (Source: Reuters) Read our viewpoint

University Of Oklahoma Study To Quantitate Pain When Jacobson Resonance Fields Are Directed To The Heart During Activation Of Cardiac Nociceptors (6/22/98)

Pioneer Services International Ltd. this week announced approval by University of Oklahoma Health Science Center researchers to conduct a study to quantitate the activity recorded from cells in the thoracic spinal cord that respond to nociceptive afferent information (pain) from the heart. The hypothesis of the study is that cell activity in the thoracic spinal cord decreases when Jacobson Resonance magnetic fields are directed to the heart during activation of cardiac nociceptors. (Source: Business Wire)

June 13--June 19, 1998

Nerve Activation May Cause Chronic Pain (6/17/98)

The activation of normally "silent" cells in the spinal cord may lead to chronic pain, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The finding may lead to the development of new ways to treat persistent pain, according to their report, published in the June 18 issue of the journal Nature. (Source: Nature 1998;393:695-698. via Reuters)

Management Of Cancer Pain Among Nursing Home Elderly Inadequate (6/17/98)

The likelihood that a cancer patient in a nursing home will receive adequate pain management decreases with age, according to an analysis of data collected in the Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Drug Use via Epidemiology (SAGE) database. Dr. Roberto Bernabei of the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome and multinational investigators for the SAGE Study Group, looked at recorded reports of daily pain and pharmacologic pain management in a cohort of 13,625 cancer patients admitted to Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes. (Source: Reuters)

Cancer Pain Often Poorly Treated In Elderly (6/16/98)

About 40% of elderly cancer patients living in nursing homes have pain daily -- but 26% of these patients do not receive painkillers of any kind, according to a report in the June 17 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. In order to provide information that would be helpful in developing strategies to improve the treatment of cancer pain, the study authors used the Systematic Assessment of Geriatric Drug Use via Epidemiology (SAGE) database to examine pain in almost 14,000 nursing home patients with cancer. (Source: Reuters)

Many Cancer Patients Go Without Pain Meds (6/16/98)

Thousands of elderly cancer patients are suffering needlessly because they are not given medicines to control pain, says the first large survey of pain management in nursing homes. About one out of every four cancer patients who say they are hurting receive no drugs. The study of nearly 14,000 cancer patients appears in this weeks issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. The problem is worse for people past age 85 and for minorities, the scientists found. (Source: UPI)

CytoTherapeutics And Astra Resume Phase IIB Clinical Trial Of Pain Control Implant (6/15/98)

CytoTherapeutics, Inc. and Astra AB have resumed patient enrollment in the Phase IIB clinical trial of CytoTherapeutics' cell-containing, pain-control implant at multiple clinical centers in Europe. This follows the January 1998 announcement by CytoTherapeutics that it would implement minor modifications to the surgical procedure to assure proper anchoring of the implant prior to enrolling additional patients in the Phase IIB trial. (Source: Business Wire)

June 6--June 12, 1998

Arthritis Program Reduces Pain, Costs (6/10/98)

A new study finds that the Arthritis Foundation's patient-oriented "Arthritis Self-Help Course" reduces the pain of arthritis while saving millions in healthcare dollars. The study, published in the current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, by a team of researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, used a computer model to estimate the 4-year pain reduction and cost savings outcomes (if any) of the ASHC program. (Source: Reuters)

Unique Analgesics For Moderate To Severe Pain To Be Marketed In Australia By A New Australian Company, Mundipharma Pty Ltd. (6/10/98)

Mundipharma Pty Limited was recently established in Sydney to market new products of the Mundipharma, Purdue Pharma (USA), and Napp Pharmaceuticals (UK) group. The Mundipharma group's first products to be marketed in Australia will focus on the treatment of moderate to severe pain due to cancer and other serious medical conditions. The Australian Mundipharma team is led by Dr. Cornelia Hentzsch who was responsible for the successful launch of MS Contin^(R) Tablets in Australia in 1991 during her tenure as Business Development Manager at Pharmacia (now Pharmacia and Upjohn). (Source: Mundipharma Pty Ltd. via PR Newswire)

Solution For A National Epidemic (6/10/98)

Back pain is in epidemic proportions in North America. It is the second leading cause of workplace absenteeism and the second most common reason people visit their doctor, forcing businesses to spend approximately $250,000,000 a year seeking a solution. While there may not be a cure for back pain yet, there is promising relief. In February 1998, when Paul Harvey, famed radio personality for the ABC Radio Network, tried the world famous OBUSFORME backrest support, he found that it provided him with excellent comfort while sitting for many hours during his radio show. (Source: OBUSFORME via PR Newswire)

International Isotopes Inc Increases Production Of Sr-89 For Bone Cancer Pain Palliation (6/10/98)

International Isotopes Inc, a producer of radioisotopes, pharmaceutical grade radiochemicals, contract manufactured radiopharmaceuticals and therapeutic devices, this week announced that International Isotopes Idaho Inc (IIII), a wholly owned subsidiary of International Isotopes Inc, will significantly increase the amount of Sr-89 produced due to market demand. (Source: International Isotopes Inc via PR Newswire)

CYTOGEN Announces Plans For Next Phase Of Marketing For Quadramet^(R); Receipt Of $3.8 Million Payment From DuPont Merck (6/8/98)

CYTOGEN Corporation this week announced plans for the next phase of marketing for Quadramet^(R) for the treatment of bone pain from cancer which has spread to the bone. In addition, the Company also announced the receipt of a payment for Quadramet, totaling $3.8 million, from DuPont Merck. (Source: CYTOGEN Corporation via PR Newswire)

May 30--June 5, 1998

New Treatments Available For Migraine Headache (6/5/98)

If you suffer from migraine headache pain, there is good news. There are now more treatment options available than ever before for those suffering from chronic headaches. As part of its continuing effort to educate the public about the reality and severity of headache pain, the National Headache Foundation (NHF) has declared June 7-13 1998, as National Headache Awareness Week. (Source: National Headache Foundation via PR Newswire)

Anesta Corp. Responds To FDA Letter On Actiq News Releases (6/5/98)

Anesta Corp. this week announced that the company has responded to a recent letter from the FDA Division of Drug Marketing, Advertising and Communications (DDMAC) concerning certain statements made by Anesta in news releases reporting on the clinical assessment of the efficacy and safety of Actiq (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate) in the treatment of breakthrough pain. (Source: Anesta Corp. via PR Newswire)

I-Flow Corp. Receives FDA Approval To Market Its New Disposable "PainBuster" Infusion Pain Management Kit For Orthopedic Surgery (6/2/98)

I-Flow Corp. this week announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its new disposable PainBuster infusion pain management kit for orthopedic surgery applications. I-Flow's PainBuster pain management system, which is based on the company's elastomeric infusion technology, provides continuous infusion of a non-narcotic local anesthetic directly into the intraoperative site for postoperative pain management. (Source: Business Wire)

Can You Diet Your Pain Away? (5/30/98)

Scientists at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) have completed two studies which show that Aspartame, a commonly available artificial sweetener found in diet soft drinks and other foods, functions effectively as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever in patients with osteoarthritis. The results of the findings were published his week in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics. (Source: Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation via PR Newswire)

Rehabilicare Announces Publication Of Wrist Pain Study Using The CTDx System (5/30/98)

Rehabilicare this week announced that a clinical research study titled "Treatment of Hand and Wrist Pain - A Randomized Clinical Trial of High Voltage Pulsed, Direct Current Built into a Wrist Splint" has been published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses. This publication is a peer reviewed journal with an editorial board of 30 professionals associated with occupational health issues. The study utilized Rehabilicare's proprietary CTDx^(TM) Electrostimulation System, which includes the CTDx stimulator, a SmartBrace^(TM) wrist splint and SmartBrace electrodes, all manufactured and distributed by Rehabilicare. (Source: Rehabilicare via PR Newswire)