May 23-29, 1998

Rehabilicare Announces Publication Of Wrist Pain Study Using the CTDx System (5/28/98)

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. The study utilized Rehabilicare's proprietary CTDx^(TM) Electrostimulation System, which includes the CTDx stimulator, a SmartBrac^(TM) wrist splint and SmartBrace electrodes, all manufactured and distributed by Rehabilicare. (Source: Rehabilicare via PR Newswire)

Electropharmacology, Inc. To Sell SofPulse Operating Assets To ADM Tronics Unlimited, Inc. (5/28/98)

Electropharmacology, Inc. this week announced it has signed a definitive agreement to sell substantially all of its SofPulse device operating assets to ADM Tronics, a technology based developer and manufacturer of a diversified line of products, including patented, non-invasive therapeutic electronic medical devices and dermatological products. EPi manufactures and markets SofPulse, which is used as a non-invasive adjunct for the palliative treatment of pain and edema in superficial soft tissue. (Source: Business Wire)

DuPont Merck And CYTOGEN Announce Continued Collaboration On Quadramet (5/26/98)

The DuPont Merck Pharmaceutical Company and CYTOGEN Corporation this week announced the withdrawal of the lawsuit between them regarding the contract under which DuPont Merck distributes CYTOGEN's cancer pain relief product, Quadramet (Samarium Sm 153 Lexidronam Injection). (Source: DuPont Merck and CYTOGEN via PR Newswire)

Guidelines Boost Chest Pain Treatment (5/25/98)

Recent clinical guidelines for the treatment of chest pain should lead to better care for patients, especially the elderly, according to a report from the National Institutes of Health. A study conducted prior to the release of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) guidelines on the treatment of angina in 1994 found that elderly patients, aged 75 years of age and older, were less likely to receive treatments for chest pain considered standard in younger patients. Dr. Robert P. Giugliano of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues conducted a study to examine the care of patients hospitalized with unstable angina in 1991 to gain a perspective on the potential impact the guideline would have on the standard of care for this population. (Source: Reuters)

Scientists Work On New Painkiller That Uses Aspirin (5/23/98)

Researchers say they may have designed a superior form of aspirin, one that works as well to kill pain and inflammation without the dangerous side-effects. The drug would be one of a class known as COX-2 inhibitors, but unlike other such drugs being worked on by pharmaceutical companies, this one is actually based on aspirin. (Source: Reuters)

May 16-21, 1998

Doctors Call Unrecognized Dangers Of Common Pain Relievers A Public Health Hazard (5/19/98)

Data presented today at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) indicate that 59 percent of the estimated 33 million American adults who regularly use prescription or over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to relieve pain may be at moderate to high risk for developing gastrointestinal (GI) complications such as bleeding ulcers. However, the data also revealed that nearly 75 percent may be unaware or unconcerned that these common pain relievers may cause serious stomach problems. (Source: New Roper Starch Worldwide via PR Newswire)

Fuisz Technologies Announces Two Further Fast-Acting Formulations Of Major Pain Control Drugs (5/18/98)

Fuisz Technologies Ltd. this week announced the results of separate human pharmacokinetic trials comparing Fuisz's CEFORM EA (Enhanced Absorption) products to Aleve^(TM) (naproxen sodium) and Orudis KT (ketoprofen). In each case, the Fuisz products demonstrated significantly faster on set of action than the reference. These results, therefore, are consistent with those previously announced for the Company's Ibuprofen EA product when compared to Advil^(TM) and Nuprin^(TM) and demonstrate the general applicability of the CEFORM EA technology to three of the major NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). (Source: Fuisz Technologies Ltd. via PR Newswire)

Medi-Tec, LLC Introduces Next Generation In Pain Relief Technology (5/18/98)

APS Therapy is the revolutionary next generation pain treatment for those suffering from chronic and acute pain conditions. The APS Therapy device received the "Gold Award" for an outstanding achievement in electro-medical devices on March 30, 1998 in Geneva, Switzerland. APS Therapy also had a good review in the article. "The pain machine that gets you moving," published in the "Daily Mail Newspaper" in London, England on April 7, 1998.  (Source: Medi-Tec, LLC via PR Newswire)

May 9-15, 1998

NEW MEDICINE/Oncology KnowledgeBASE, A Comprehensive Resource In The Cancer Field, To Launch At The American Society Of Clinical Oncology (5/15/98)

NEW MEDICINE, the publisher of Future Oncology, the premier analytical newsletter in the oncology field, will launch its New Medicine/Oncology KnowledgeBASE during the 34th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, May 16-19, 1998. NM/OK consists of a number of modules (New Drugs, Marketed Drugs, Companies, Diagnostics, Devices, Epidemiology, Markets, Indications, Technologies, Mechanisms, Drug Delivery, Markers, etc.) covering every important aspect of the cancer field. The currently available module, New Drugs, incorporate over 1,000 records of agents in development for cancer and complications associated with the disease and its treatment, including pain. (Source: NEW MEDICINE via BW HealthWire)

Elder Back Pain May Be Due To Fracture (5/14/98)

Undiagnosed back fractures may be a major contributor to recurrent back pain and disability in older women, according to a report by researchers led by Dr. Michael Nevitt of the University of California, San Francisco. Their findings appear in the May 15 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. (Source: Reuters)

How Analgesics Cause Side Effects (5/14/98)

Researchers at Penn State's College of Medicine have identified a part of the brain that may contribute to unwanted side effects from pain medication. In experiments using laboratory animals, Lydic and his team discovered a set of neurons in the pons, a structure at the base of the brain, that may account for morphine's ability to decrease brain production of acetylcholine, a chemical essential for normal rapid eye movement (REM) during sleep. (Source: Reuters)

Heart Attack Symptoms May Differ In Women (5/13/98)

Chest pain is the most common heart attack symptom in both men and women, but researchers report that women are more likely to experience other symptoms, including difficulty breathing and back pain. The study also shows that female heart attack patients often receive different care than male patients. Investigators at United Hospital and St. Paul Heart Clinic in St. Paul, Minnesota, studied the charts of 51 women and 47 men admitted to the hospital with myocardial infarction (heart attack) and conducted interviews with these patients. (Source: Reuters)

Biochem Pharma Announces Beginning Of Phase I Clinical Trial On Its Novel Pain Control Agent Bch-3963 (5/12/98)

BioChem Pharma Inc. this week announced that its development partner Astra AB of Sweden (Astra) received clearance to begin Phase I clinical trial in Sweden on BCH-3963, a novel peripherally-acting pain control agent discovered by BioChem. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety of this candidate drug as well as its pharmacokinetics (e.g. half-life in blood, excretion) in healthy volunteers. (Source: BioChem Pharma Inc. via PR Newswire)

TheraTech And Astra Announce Worldwide Oral Transmucosal Agreement (5/11/98)

TheraTech Inc. this week announced that it has reached an agreement with Astra AB to use TheraTech's novel oral transmucosal (OTM) delivery technology in the collaborative development of a new pain medication. The product, which Astra plans to market worldwide, will contain an undisclosed, proprietary peptide under development by Astra and BioChem Pharma, Montreal, Canada. (Source: Reuters)

May 2-8, 1998

New Clinical Practice Guidelines Address Problem Of Chronic Pain In Older People (5/7/98)

Improved understanding, assessment and treatment of chronic pain in older people is the goal of new clinical practice pain management guidelines announced this week by the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) at its annual meeting. These are the first clinical practice guidelines that focus specifically on pain management in older Americans -- the fastest growing segment of the population, and the most likely to suffer from chronic, painful conditions that are often under-treated. (Source: American Geriatrics Society via PR Newswire)

STREAMING VIDEO: A Nation In Pain: More Americans Must Cope With Arthritis -- The Nation's Leading Cause Of Disability (5/5/98)

This May -- during National Arthritis Month and in recognition of the Arthritis Foundation's 50th Anniversary -- the Foundation will announce the names of 50 National Heroes Overcoming Arthritis. By honoring these individuals, the Arthritis Foundation wants to show not only the serious impact of arthritis, but that living with arthritis does not have to lead to disability. Early diagnosis followed by appropriate treatment can reduce the effects of arthritis. Watch streaming video which looks at the story of a woman who overcame arthritis to become a physician and arthritis researcher at http://www.newstream.com/98-165.shtml. (Source: Business Wire)