Postoperative Pain Reliever

By HospiMedica staff writers
Posted on 18 Jun 2003
A sustained-release injectible drug is designed to provide local analgesia for up to three days, which coincides with the greatest need for postsurgical pain control in most patients.

The postoperative pain relief depot product, developed by Durect Corp. (Cupertino, CA, USA), uses the company's Saber delivery system and a local anesthetic to administer the drug locally around a surgical site following surgery. The active agent is bupivacaine. One dose of the pain relief product is intended to provide up to 72 hours of regional pain relief, compared to conventional practices, which include both opioid and nonopioid medications. A clinical trial on the system has begun.

"This product could potentially reduce hospital stays and the amount of traditional postsurgical pain medications needed by patients, as well as the associated side effects resulting from the use of concomitant opioid medications,” said James E. Brown, president and CEO of Durect.

Durect's patented Saber drug delivery system is a biodegradable, controlled-release technology that can be formulated for parenteral, oral, dermal, or other route of administration of active agents for human pharmaceutical and veterinary applications.




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