What U.S. Doctors Know That Has Not Yet Reached China

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Fibromyalgia (FM), a disorder now taken seriously in the United States after decades of misinformation and misdiagnosis, is still largely misunderstood and underdiagnosed by physicians in China. A recent national survey of Chinese rheumatologists revealed they have a lower awareness of FM compared with colleagues in Western countries. Sadly for China's patients with FM—a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and fatigue—the dismissive attitude formerly directed at U.S. patients ("It's all in your mind!") is now being encountered by Chinese patients, just before they walk out of the doctor's office with no relief in sight.

An anonymous survey was conducted among a nationwide sample of Chinese rheumatologists at the 15th National Rheumatology Conference in 2010, with results published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases this year. Of more than 700 respondents, 80 percent reported difficulties in treating FM patients. Nearly all—90.8 percent—mistakenly believed that the prognosis of FM patients was usually benign, and nearly 30 percent believed FM was only a psychological disorder. The investigators concluded that "awareness and perception of FM are still low among Chinese rheumatologists." There was some good news from the survey, however: "Our data also showed that most Chinese rheumatologists were eager for continuing medical education on FM."

In the U.S., people with FM who complained of "pain all over their bodies, constant fatigue and poor sleep" are no longer being told all they have is a psychological condition. Thanks to advanced medical technologies, most doctors here—both rheumatologists and other specialists—now have a deeper understanding as to how FM affects the body. However, with five million affected people in the U.S., the challenge is that treatment remains elusive. And there are still outstanding challenges as only half of this population is being treated.

Enter Seth Lederman, M.D., President and CEO of NYC-based TONIX Pharmaceuticals. The company's formulation, TNX-102 SL, is designed to help change FM treatment for millions of sufferers. Dr. Lederman and his team believe the key to easing the pain and suffering is enabling these patients to break the vicious cycle between poor sleep at night and pain during the day.

TONIX has taken cyclobenzaprine—an FDA-approved muscle relaxant that's been on the market for 35 years—and reformulated it as an under-the-tongue tablet taken at bedtime. This allows cyclobenzaprine to be taken up into the bloodstream rapidly, setting the tone for restorative sleep, which has been shown to mitigate pain experienced in FM.

Tonix recently announced the initiation of its Bedtime Sublingual TNX-102 SL as Fibromyalgia Intervention Therapy (BESTFIT) clinical trial, which is the first of two pivotal trials for TNX-102 SL 2.8 mg tablets, in patients with FM. 

For more on TNX-102 SL and the BESTFIT trial, visit www.tonixpharma.com.

Contact:  Laura Radocaj, Dian Griesel Int'l., 212.825.3210

SOURCE TONIX Pharmaceuticals