SAN DIEGO, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Laboratories, a leading provider of therapeutic drug monitoring and education to physicians and staff treating chronic pain, and the Millennium Research Institute, a national non-profit research center, have become  contributing sponsors of the Tufts Health Care Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management. Through a series of summit meetings and special projects, the THCI Program on Opioid Risk Management provides a neutral educational forum to foster an exchange of ideas among diverse attendees, who review and discuss scientific and public health findings relevant to opioid risk management and recommend future initiatives in this field.

The Tufts Health Care Institute on Opioid Risk Management also seeks to engage the medical and scientific communities in understanding and addressing opioid risk management by publishing syntheses of observations arising from these forums in peer-reviewed journals and through postings on the THCI Program on Opioid Risk Management website (www.thci.org/opioid).

Millennium Laboratories and Millennium Research Institute recognize a critical need for additional research and education in the treatment of pain patients and in meeting the challenges of prescription drug abuse. They engage the medical, scientific and academic communities in collaborative partnerships; in publishing original research in prescription opioid use, including abuse and diversion; and in an advocacy agenda to support optimal pain care through regulatory and public policy.

Nathaniel Katz, MD, Program Director of the Tufts Health Care Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management, said, "We are grateful for the support of Millennium Laboratories and Millennium Research Institute which contributes to the success of the Tufts Health Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management in establishing best practices in opioid risk management."

Kathy Egan City, President and Executive Director of the Millennium Research Institute commented, "As a non-profit pain research center, we are pleased to contribute to the national summits held by the Tufts Health Care Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management. These invitation-only conferences have emerged as comprehensive knowledge-sharing platforms with thought leaders to examine practical solutions and best practices."

The summit programs of the Tufts Health Care Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management include a range of participants including government entities such as the Drug Enforcement Administration and Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, as well as physicians in pain management, researchers, and educators in healthcare and medicine.

Millennium Laboratories President Howard Appel added, "Our support of the Tufts Health Care Institute Program on Opioid Risk Management reflects Millennium Laboratories' commitment to collaboration with universities and researchers, and to educational programs focused on greater understanding of the treatment of pain, improvements to patient safety and identification and prevention of prescription drug abuse."        

Millennium Research Institute has collaborative partnerships with the UCSD Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences; UCSD College of Medicine, the University of Washington Division of Pain Medicine; and the University of South Florida Center for Hospice, Palliative Care and End-of-life Studies.

Located in Boston, Massachusetts, Tufts Health Care Institute was established in 1995 by Tufts University School of Medicine and Tufts Health Plan as a not-for-profit education organization.

About Millennium Laboratories

Located in San Diego's life sciences cluster, Millennium Laboratories, Inc. is a national, research-based medication monitoring company whose test panels, technology, customer support, educational resources and experts are specifically focused on clinicians who treat chronic pain. The company is recognized as a leader in pain management services, setting industry standards in drug testing and reporting, clinical research and education. Millennium serves as an industry, government and payer educator and a compassionate advocate for pain sufferers throughout the United States. The company is accredited by The Joint Commission, receiving the Gold Seal of Approval™ for healthcare quality and safety.  

Among the numerous scientific and research achievements of the company's renowned laboratory team, Millennium Laboratories is the only reference laboratory certified as a training facility for clinical toxicologist scientists and operates as a unique research component of the University of California, San Diego's (UCSD) doctoral program in Pharmacy. For more information, visit the Millennium Laboratories website, www.becausepainmatters.com.

About the Millennium Research Institute

As part of the company's commitment to pain management research and education, Millennium Laboratories established the Millennium Research Institute. The Millennium Research Institute is a national research center that conducts and disseminates original research as well as collaborates with other researchers focused on improving the experiences of people suffering from pain and pain-related disorders. The Institute maintains several national academic partnerships and supports collaborative research by accessing therapeutic drug monitoring company Millennium Laboratories' unique database representing the U.S. pain population.

With world-class scientific researchers, laboratory experts and toxicologists led by Principal Investigator Amadeo J. Pesce, Ph.D., Millennium Research Institute is focused on promoting excellence in the treatment of pain and minimizing the suffering and social consequences of prescription drug abuse, addiction, and diversion.  In addition, Millennium Laboratories' psychologists, psychiatrists, pharmacists and allied health professionals further Millennium Research Institute's goals through medical education programs and advocacy of national standards, guidelines and regulations to assure safe prescribing practices.  For more information, visit www.millenniumresearchinstitute.org.

SOURCE Millennium Laboratories, Inc.