PARSIPPANY, N.J. and KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 27, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
To improve patient outcomes and combat a segment of the national opioid epidemic, The University of Tennessee Medical Center and Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX) today announced a continuous quality improvement (CQI) project designed to develop low- or no-opioid postsurgical pain management pathways for patients undergoing one of the most common surgical procedures, hernia surgery.
The project is intended to demonstrate that effective postsurgical analgesia is achievable without the need for high volumes of opioids, which in turn, can make a meaningful impact on the patient recovery experience. Utilizing the expertise of CQ-Insights, a leading-edge healthcare data analytics firm, hospital data will be analyzed to track the progress of pathway implementation, the resulting reduction in overall opioid consumption, length of hospital stay, costs, and patient satisfaction.
“Our goal is to truly improve the value of care for our patients by effectively managing pain while preventing unnecessary exposure to postsurgical opioids through the use of multimodal, non-opioid pain management strategies,” said Dr. Bruce Ramshaw, professor and chair of the Department of Surgery at The University of Tennessee Medical Center and University of Tennessee Graduate School of Medicine. “The ability to measure the value of care, which results in improved patient outcomes and decreased healthcare costs, will come to fruition through projects such as this that include collaboration, outcome measurement and data analytics. The potential for significant improvement exists for hernia patients as well as the entire healthcare delivery system.”
Following a successful demonstration of opioid reduction and quality outcomes among hernia patients, The University of Tennessee Medical Center, an academic medical center located in Knoxville, Tenn., and Pacira intend to develop an educational program that can be shared with other hospitals and providers, and will consider implementing similar CQI projects in other surgical procedures.
“We are proud to collaborate with the University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville to identify innovative ways to reduce reliance on opioids as the first line of defense for managing acute pain,” said Dave Stack, chairman and chief executive officer of Pacira. “Through their commitment to low-opioid pain control, the University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville is truly taking a leadership position in redefining what is possible when it comes to postsurgical pain management and patient outcomes.”
Beyond the unwanted and potentially life-threatening adverse events associated with opioid use, research continues to uncover the connection between their introduction in the hospital setting and the overall societal opioid burden.
A recent JAMA Internal Medicine article highlighted that for opioid-naive patients, many surgical procedures are associated with an increased risk of chronic opioid use in the postsurgical period;1 perhaps more startling, a recent national survey revealed that 1 in 10 patients admit they’ve become addicted to or dependent on opioids after being exposed to these powerful medications following an operation.2
The University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville serves East Tennessee, Southeastern Kentucky, and Western North Carolina, three of the top 15 states in the U.S. in terms of per capita opioid prescriptions. In 2016, enough opioids were prescribed in these states combined for every resident to have approximately 62 pills each.3
About The University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville
The mission of The University of Tennessee Medical Center, the region’s only hospital to achieve status as a Magnet® recognized organization, is to serve through healing, education and discovery. UT Medical Center, a 609-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, serves as a referral center for Eastern Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. The medical center, the region’s only Level I Trauma Center, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. For more information about The University of Tennessee Medical Center, visit online at www.utmedicalcenter.org.
About CQ-Insights
CQ Insights, Inc. is a healthcare data analytics firm offering expert knowledge and proven technology for improving patient treatment and care resulting in exceptional outcomes. CQ Insights provides data analyses and solutions in a context that defines, measures, and improves satisfaction for all stakeholders within the medical profession. CQ Insights analyzes a collection of real-world data from surgeons, hospitals, and academic medical centers to optimize costs and enhance decision making processes and patient experiences. To learn more about CQ Insights, please visit www.cq-insights.com.
About Pacira
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX) is a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to advancing and improving postsurgical outcomes for acute care practitioners and their patients. The company's flagship product, EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) was commercially launched in the United States in April 2012. EXPAREL utilizes DepoFoam®, a unique and proprietary product delivery technology that encapsulates drugs without altering their molecular structure, and releases them over a desired period of time. To learn more about Pacira, including the corporate mission to reduce overreliance on opioids, visit www.pacira.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about our future expectations, plans, outlook and prospects, and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including risks relating to: the success of our sales and manufacturing efforts in support of the commercialization of EXPAREL; the rate and degree of market acceptance of EXPAREL and our other products; the size and growth of the potential markets for EXPAREL and our ability to serve those markets; our plans to expand the use of EXPAREL to additional indications and opportunities, and the timing and success of any related clinical trials; the related timing and success of United States Food and Drug Administration supplemental New Drug Applications; the outcome of the U.S. Department of Justice inquiry; our plans to evaluate, develop and pursue additional DepoFoam-based product candidates; clinical trials in support of an existing or potential DepoFoam-based product; our commercialization and marketing capabilities; our and Patheon UK Limited’s ability to successfully and timely construct dedicated EXPAREL manufacturing suites; and other factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016 and in other filings that we periodically make with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent our views as of the date of this press release. Important factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated or implied by forward-looking statements, and as such we anticipate that subsequent events and developments will cause our views to change. However, while we may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we specifically disclaim any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
| Media Contacts: | ||
| The University of Tennessee Medical Center Jim Ragonese, (865) 305-6845 jragones@utmck.edu | ||
| Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Susan Mesco, (908) 391-8283 susan.mesco@pacira.com | Coyne Public Relations Alyssa Schneider, (973) 588-2270 aschneider@coynepr.com |
References
- Sun EC, Darnall B, Baker LC, Mackey S. JAMA Intern Med. Published online July 11, 2016. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.3298.
- Wakefield Research on behalf of Pacira Pharmaceuticals. Opioid Addiction and Dependence After Surgery is Significantly Higher than Previously Known. 2016.
- Pacira. United States for Non-Dependence: An Analysis of the Impact of Opioid Overprescribing in America. September 2017. [Analysis in the report was based on research conducted by the QuintilesIMS Institute].