University of Tennessee Medical Center at Knoxville, Pacira Pharmaceuticals, and CQ-Insights Announce Collaboration to Minimi...
February 27 2018 - 7:30AM
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
KnoxvilleThe 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-InsightsCQ 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 StatementsAny 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 CenterJim Ragonese, (865)
305-6845jragones@utmck.edu |
|
|
Pacira Pharmaceuticals,
Inc.Susan Mesco, (908) 391-8283susan.mesco@pacira.com |
|
Coyne Public
RelationsAlyssa Schneider, (973)
588-2270aschneider@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].
Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Pacira BioSciences (NASDAQ:PCRX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024