American Academy of Pain Medicine Applauds FDA Action to Enhance Patient Safety on Prescribing Opioids; Offers AAPM Safe Opioid Prescribing Course as Educational Model

GLENVIEW, Ill., July 9, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Academy of Pain Medicine, which represents 2,600 pain physicians and treatment teams, issued the following statement today in response to the FDA's issuance of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for opioids:

As the premiere medical association of pain physicians, we applaud the FDA's issuance of the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for opioids. It is a huge leap forward. We are pleased to have worked with FDA and other groups in the development of this REMS.

As a leading provider of continuing medical education in this field, we know that increased education and training of practitioners and patients can reduce adverse outcomes that are often associated with opioids. Through proper education and training, opioids can be administered safely to patients and continue to be an important option in the treatment of chronic and debilitating pain that is suffered by millions of Americans. We will also shortly be issuing a series of best practices for both patients and prescribers that we believe can further reduce adverse outcomes associated with opioids. 

AAPM's Safe Opioid Prescribing Course has been offered to hundreds of physicians practicing in the field of pain medicine. We believe that it can serve as a model for the continuing medical education programs required by the REMS and look forward to providing our expertise in partnering with FDA and others in the field to ensure that prescribers receive the most effective education and training possible.

About AAPM

The American Academy of Pain Medicine is the premiere medical association for pain physicians and their treatment teams with over 2,600 members. Now in its 28th year of service, the Academy's mission is to optimize the health of patients in pain and eliminate it as a major public health problem by advancing the practice and specialty of pain medicine through education, training, advocacy and research. Information is available on the Academy's website at www.painmed.org.

SOURCE American Academy of Pain Medicine