Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative and Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Announce Collaboration to Minimize Opioid Exposure for Postsurgical Patients
PARSIPPANY, N.J. and EVANSTON, Ill.,
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ISQIC and Pacira will work in collaboration to minimize opioid prescribing across the spectrum of surgical care by focusing on four key elements, namely: setting appropriate pain management expectations preoperatively; patient assessment, including screening for addictive behavior; optimizing perioperative pain control while minimizing or eliminating opioid use; and weaning patients from opioids as early as possible.
“This collaboration is a great opportunity to impact opioid prescribing in surgical care. We are excited to develop and implement critically-needed educational tools that will improve pain management prescribing throughout the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative,” said Karl Bilimoria, MD, MS, a surgical oncologist and director of the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative.
“A surgical encounter is often the first time a patient is exposed to opioids, and it therefore represents an opportunity for us to assure that patients receive adequate education about the risks involved in taking opioid medications and about safe storage and disposal practices,” said Jonah Stulberg, MD, PhD, a general surgeon leading the opioid reduction initiatives for ISQIC.
In Illinois alone, of the 2,278 statewide drug overdose deaths that occurred during 2016, over 80 percent (or 1,826 occurrences) were opioid-related fatalities.1 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.2 Therefore, surgeons have the opportunity to make a substantial impact on the opioid crisis and the health of their patients by minimizing opioid prescribing in the perioperative period and by providing adequate patient education.
“We look forward to collaborating with ISQIC on this joint commitment to decrease postsurgical reliance on opioids, and ultimately improve the patient recovery experience,” said Dave Stack, chairman and chief executive officer of
About ISQIC
ISQIC is a nationally recognized partnership of 56 Illinois hospitals, the Illinois and Metropolitan Chicago Chapters of the
About Pacira
Forward Looking Statements
Any statements in this press release about the company’s 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 the company’s sales and manufacturing efforts in support of the commercialization of EXPAREL; the rate and degree of market acceptance of EXPAREL and the company’s other products; the size and growth of the potential markets for EXPAREL and the company’s ability to serve those markets; the company’s 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
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2JAMA Surg. Published online
Media Contacts: Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative (ISQIC) Remi Love, (312) 694-7742 rlove@isqic.orgPacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Amber Sears, (973) 254-3587 amber.sears@pacira.com Coyne Public Relations Alyssa Schneider, (973) 588-2270 aschneider@coynepr.com