Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Aetna, and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Join Together in a Program to ...
September 13 2017 - 7:30AM
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX), today announced a
collaboration with Aetna, one of the nation’s leading diversified
health care benefits companies, with the support of the American
Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS), on a
national program aimed at reducing the number of opioid tablets
prescribed to patients undergoing impacted third molar (wisdom
tooth) extractions by at least 50 percent through the utilization
of EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) to provide
prolonged non-opioid postsurgical pain control.
Aetna will reimburse oral surgeons enrolled in the program for
their use of EXPAREL in impacted third molar extraction cases
performed once the surgeons have completed training on use of the
product.
“In collaborating with AAOMS and Pacira, Aetna aims to take
opioids out of the medicine cabinet and provide an effective
non-opioid pain management alternative for our members
undergoing oral surgery,” said Dr. Harold L. Paz, Executive
Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Aetna.
According to a recent JAMA Surgery study, more than two-thirds
of postsurgical patients report unused prescription opioids—and the
majority indicate that these medications are neither safely stored
nor disposed of—suggesting a dangerous accumulation of opioids in
the home, which are available for potential diversion or
misuse.1
“In light of our nation’s opioid epidemic, the American
Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons is committed to the
safe and responsible prescribing of opioids for acute and
postsurgical pain control,” said Douglas W. Fain, DDS, MD, FACS,
President of AAOMS. “We are pleased to see additional support for
the use of non-opioid options like EXPAREL to provide oral surgery
patients with long-lasting postsurgical pain control while reducing
their need for high volumes of opioids.”
Following a successful demonstration of opioid reduction among
enrolled oral surgeons, Aetna and Pacira will consider expanding
the use of EXPAREL in similar programs across other surgical
procedures as appropriate.
1. JAMA Surg. Published online August 2, 2017.
doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0831
About Pacira
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:PCRX) is a specialty
pharmaceutical company focused on the clinical and commercial
development of new products that meet the needs of acute care
practitioners and their patients. The company’s flagship product,
EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension), indicated
for single-dose infiltration into the surgical site to produce
postsurgical analgesia, was commercially launched in the United
States in April 2012. EXPAREL and two other products have
successfully utilized 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. Additional information about Pacira is available at
www.pacira.com.
About EXPAREL®EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome
injectable suspension) is currently indicated for single-dose
infiltration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical
analgesia. The product combines bupivacaine with DepoFoam®, a
proven product delivery technology that delivers medication over a
desired period of time. EXPAREL represents the first and only
multivesicular liposome local anesthetic that can be utilized in
the peri- or postsurgical setting. By utilizing the DepoFoam
platform, a single dose of EXPAREL delivers bupivacaine over time,
providing significant reductions in cumulative pain score with up
to a 45 percent decrease in opioid consumption; the clinical
benefit of the opioid reduction was not demonstrated. Additional
information is available at www.EXPAREL.com.
Important Safety InformationEXPAREL is
contraindicated in obstetrical paracervical block anesthesia.
EXPAREL has not been studied for use in patients younger than 18
years of age. Non-bupivacaine-based local anesthetics, including
lidocaine, may cause an immediate release of bupivacaine from
EXPAREL if administered together locally. The administration of
EXPAREL may follow the administration of lidocaine after a delay of
20 minutes or more. Other formulations of bupivacaine should not be
administered within 96 hours following administration of EXPAREL.
Monitoring of cardiovascular and neurological status, as well as
vital signs should be performed during and after injection of
EXPAREL as with other local anesthetic products. Because amide-type
local anesthetics, such as bupivacaine, are metabolized by the
liver, EXPAREL should be used cautiously in patients with hepatic
disease. Patients with severe hepatic disease, because of their
inability to metabolize local anesthetics normally, are at a
greater risk of developing toxic plasma concentrations. In clinical
trials, the most common adverse reactions (incidence greater-than
or equal to 10%) following EXPAREL administration were nausea,
constipation, and vomiting.
Please see the full Prescribing Information for more details
available at:
http://www.exparel.com/hcp/pdf/EXPAREL_Prescribing_Information.pdf.
About AAOMSThe experts in face, mouth and jaw
surgery® — The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgeons (AAOMS) is the professional organization representing more
than 11,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons, OMS residents and OMS
professional staff in the United States. AAOMS supports its
fellows’ and members’ ability to practice their specialty through
education, research and advocacy. AAOMS fellows and members comply
with rigorous continuing education requirements and submit to
periodic office anesthesia evaluations. For additional information
about oral and maxillofacial surgery, visit the AAOMS websites at
AAOMS.org and myOMS.org.
Media Contacts:
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Susan Mesco, (908) 391-8283
susan.mesco@pacira.com
Coyne Public Relations
Alyssa Schneider, (973) 588-2270
aschneider@coynepr.com
Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2024 to May 2024
Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX)
Historical Stock Chart
From May 2023 to May 2024