Depomed Supports the American Chronic Pain Association's Toolkit for Primary Care Providers

NEWARK, Calif., Sept. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Depomed, Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on commercializing drugs for central nervous system conditions including pain, announced its support of the American Chronic Pain Association's (ACPA) Toolkit for Healthcare Professionals: Activities and Resources as part of Pain Awareness Month, recognized in September.

The toolkit provides a set of multi-disciplinary resources for primary care providers, including guidelines, templates and insights for everything from crafting compelling messaging and communications initiatives to leveraging potential partner organizations. It gives up-to-date information on how to elevate the issues of pain and pain care, support national pain strategies, and help the voices of health care providers be heard. Toolkits are available free of charge at www.understandingpain.org and will be distributed at upcoming events and conferences.

"Primary care providers are on the front lines of helping people with pain, and now, more than ever, it is important that they are equipped with tools and information that improve their understanding of pain," said Dr. Srinivas Rao, Depomed Chief Medical Officer. "As part of our continued commitment to investing in education and training for primary care providers, we are pleased to be able to support the ACPA and its mission of working to ensure that no one living with pain is unable to access care."

Pain is a significant public health problem in the United States, with approximately 100 million U.S. adults suffering from chronic pain alone. Chronic pain costs society at least $560-$635 billion annually, an amount equal to about $2,000 for everyone living in the country.ⁱ

Pain – especially chronic back pain – is one of the most common reasons that people visit a primary care health care provider. ⁱⁱ However, primary care providers have expressed concerns about potential pain medication misuse, the stress in managing patients with chronic pain, and insufficient training in proper pain assessment and treatment.ⁱⁱⁱ

"One of the most challenging issues we're seeing for a person with pain is access to care – being able to find a primary care provider who's going to look at them as a person with pain and help them manage that pain," said Penney Cowan, ACPA founder and CEO. "It is imperative that we work together with organizations like Depomed to help primary care providers better understand what resources are available to increase their knowledge and help them feel more prepared to treat people with pain."

About Depomed, Inc.
Depomed is a leading pharmaceutical company focused on enhancing the lives of patients, families, physicians, providers and payers we serve through commercializing innovative products for pain and neurology-related disorders. Depomed markets six medicines with area focus that include mild to severe acute pain, moderate to severe chronic pain, neuropathic pain, migraine and breakthrough cancer pain. Depomed is headquartered in Newark, California. To learn more, visit www.depomed.com.

About the American Chronic Pain Association (ACPA)
Founded in 1980, the ACPA facilitates peer support and education for individuals with chronic pain and their families, so that these individuals may live more fully in spite of their pain. The organization raises awareness among the health care community, policymakers and the public at large about issues of living with chronic pain.

The ACPA strives to represent the voice of real people with chronic pain by providing a broad array of how-to materials that teach pain management life skills. The goal of these materials is to enhance quality of life and decrease a sense of suffering through individual empowerment.

About Partners for Understanding Pain and Pain Awareness Month
In 2001, the ACPA established a pain awareness campaign that pulled together organizations from across the country. The resulting consortium – Partners for Understanding Pain – included a wide variety of organizations that touch the lives of people with chronic, acute and cancer pain.

Through its members, each of whom brings its own perspective to the dialogue, Partners for Understanding Pain represents a comprehensive network dedicated to building understanding and support that can help people with pain lead better lives.

One key element of the coalition was to establish September as Pain Awareness Month, creating greater understanding among health care professionals, individuals and families who are struggling with pain management, the business community, legislators, and the general public that pain is a serious public health issue.

ⁱ Institute of Medicine Report from the Committee on Advancing Pain Research, Care, and Education: Relieving Pain in America, A Blueprint for Transforming Prevention, Care, Education and Research. The National Academies Press, 2011. http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13172&page=1.

ⁱⁱ St. Sauver, Jennifer L. et al. Why Patients Visit Their Doctors: Assessing the Most Prevalent Conditions in a Defined American Population. Mayo Clinic Proceedings , Volume 88 , Issue 1, 56 – 67.

ⁱⁱⁱ Dowell D, Haegerich TM, Chou R. CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain — United States, 2016. MMWR Recomm Rep 2016;65(No. RR-1):1–49. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr6501e1.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160921/410715LOGO

SOURCE Depomed, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.depomed.com