The Center for Analgesic Transformation will Provide Strategic Solutions to Diminish Opioid Misuse and Addiction Through the Utilization of Non-opioid Analgesics
TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / July 18, 2018 / The South Florida Accelerator, LLC (TSFA), an innovation aggregator and early stage venture fund, and Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced the creation of The Center for Analgesic Transformation, a think tank committed to developing opioid minimization solutions through the utilization of non-opioid analgesics, including EXPAREL® (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension). EXPAREL is a non-opioid pain management option for achieving long-lasting pain control after surgery via infiltration into the surgical site or administration as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block.
Headquartered in Tampa, The Center for Analgesic Transformation will work to educate clinicians and patients on the burden of postsurgical opioids as an unintended gateway to opioid misuse and addiction; develop opioid minimization strategies to reduce opioid use following surgical procedures; and conduct training on the utilization of EXPAREL and other non-opioid analgesics for anesthesiologists, certified registered nurse anesthetists and anesthesiologist assistants.
The Center for Analgesic Transformation will be launched by clinician and philanthropist Devanand Mangar, M.D., F.C.C.P, Chief of Anesthesiology at Tampa General Hospital and President and Chief Executive Officer of Tampa Outpatient Surgical Facility and North Tampa Outpatient Surgical facility. Through its creation, The Center for Analgesic Transformation will use innovative methods and research to inform policy and decision making surrounding the use of non-opioid analgesics during and after surgery as a solution to the opioid epidemic.
"I am pleased to work with Pacira and TSFA to help launch a center dedicated to creating strategic solutions to combat the opioid crisis by focusing on prevention of addiction to opioids following surgery," said Devanand Mangar, M.D., F.C.C.P, cofounder of The Center for Analgesic Transformation. "Tampa possesses a robust and accomplished healthcare community that is rich in intellectual capital focused on improving patient outcomes through opioid minimization strategies, making it an ideal location to anchor The Center for Analgesic Transformation."
Research continues to show that the surgery has become an inadvertent gateway to the mounting opioid epidemic, with approximately three million Americans each year becoming newly persistent opioid users due to initial exposure following surgery.[1]
Additionally, a JAMA Surgery study found 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]
"Reducing unnecessary exposure to opioids following surgery is an essential component for preventing opioid addiction before it begins," said David Stack, chairman and chief executive officer of Pacira. "We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Mangar and The South Florida Accelerator to disrupt the opioid epidemic by strategizing innovative solutions focused on prevention through the use of non-opioid analgesics."
About The South Florida Accelerator (TSFA)
The South Florida Accelerator (TSFA) is an innovation accelerator/aggregator that drives global impact. TSFA's mission is to identify visionary entrepreneurs and facilitate ideation by providing a clear path to success through a global network of strategic corporate partnerships. The company's venture fund supports the region's most creative and talented entrepreneurs, making their dreams real so people around the world live happier, healthier and richer lives. For additional information, visit www.tsfa.co
About Pacira
Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 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.
About EXPAREL®
EXPAREL (bupivacaine liposome injectable suspension) is indicated for single-dose infiltration in adults to produce postsurgical local analgesia and as an interscalene brachial plexus nerve block to produce postsurgical regional analgesia. The product combines bupivacaine with DepoFoam®, a proven product delivery technology that delivers medication over a desired time period. 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 scores with up to a 78 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 Information
EXPAREL is contraindicated in obstetrical paracervical block anesthesia. Adverse reactions reported with an incidence greater than or equal to 10% following EXPAREL administration via infiltration were nausea, constipation, and vomiting; adverse reactions reported with an incidence greater than or equal to 10% following EXPAREL administration via interscalene brachial plexus nerve block were nausea, pyrexia, and constipation. If EXPAREL and other non-bupivacaine local anesthetics, including lidocaine, are administered at the same site, there may be an immediate release of bupivacaine from EXPAREL. Therefore, EXPAREL may be administered to the same site 20 minutes after injecting lidocaine. EXPAREL is not recommended to be used in the following patient population: patients <18 years old and/or pregnant patients. Because amide-type local anesthetics, such as bupivacaine, are metabolized by the liver, EXPAREL should be used cautiously in patients with hepatic disease.
Media Contacts:
The South Florida Accelerator
Simi Ranajee, (312) 282 5154
sr@tsfa.co
Coyne Public Relations
Alyssa Schneider, (973) 588-2270
aschneider@coynepr.com
[1] 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].
[2] JAMA Surg. Published online August 2, 2017. doi:10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0831
SOURCE: The South Florida Accelerator, LLC
