ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Jan. 20, 2017
/PRNewswire/ -- New research has found spinal cord stimulation
(SCS) therapy can be key to reducing or stabilizing the use of
opioids in patients battling chronic pain. In a new study,
researchers examined opioid usage data from more than 5,400
patients both prior to and after receiving an SCS system implant.
In an SCS system, an implanted device similar to a pacemaker
delivers low levels of electrical energy to nerve fibers,
interrupting pain signals as they travel to the brain to reduce the
sensation of pain. Researchers have found that average daily opioid
use declined or stabilized for patients receiving a successful SCS
system compared to patient use of opioids prior to an implant.
In addition, while opioid usage was not different for the two
groups at time of implant, patients who underwent a successful SCS
implant had significantly lower opioid use one year after their
implant. Patients who had their SCS system removed saw their opioid
use increase again over time.
The study, which the researchers believe makes a compelling case
for considering SCS therapy earlier in the chronic pain care
continuum, were presented today at the 2017 North American
Neuromodulation Society (NANS) annual meeting by Ashwini Sharan, M.D., director of Functional and
Epilepsy Surgery at Vickie and Jack Farber Institute for
Neuroscience at Jefferson and president of NANS. The study
was sponsored by Abbott (NYSE: ABT), a global leader in the
development and manufacture of SCS systems and therapy options,
such as the company's proprietary BurstDR™ stimulation.
Currently, more than 2.1 million people in the U.S. suffer from
substance abuse related to opioid pain relievers, while worldwide
an estimated 15.5 million people are now classified as opioid
dependent. Chronic pain is often a driver of opioid use as patients
seek relief and improvements to their quality of life. Fortunately
for patients, SCS therapy has been clinically proven to offer
meaningful relief to patients suffering from chronic pain.
"Given the epidemic of opioid addiction and abuse, these
findings are important and confirm that spinal cord stimulation
therapy can offer strong benefits for patients struggling with
chronic pain," said Sharan. "Based on these results, we concluded
it may be possible to improve outcomes by offering our patients
spinal cord stimulation earlier, before opioid dependence and
addiction can occur."
About the Study:
For their analysis, the research team assessed private and
Medicare insurance claims data from 5,476 patients who received an
SCS system to treat chronic pain associated with a host of
conditions (excluding pain related to cancer). The data were
collected between January 2010 and
December 2014.
The data confirmed that many patients are often prescribed
increasing dosages of opioids prior to receiving an SCS system. The
researchers also found:
- SCS therapy is effective for patients at any level of opioid
usage prior to implantation.
- Opioid use declined or stabilized in 70 percent of patients who
received an SCS system.
- Among patients who had their SCS system explanted, opioid use
was higher at one year compared to those who continued with SCS
therapy.
The researchers further suggested patient outcomes could be
improved if SCS were implanted earlier in recognition of the
clinical practice to provide increasing dosages of opioids over
time. These conclusions help build upon prior research, such as
results of a large multicenter randomized controlled trial in
patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) that showed
trends in opioid reduction or cessation among SCS patients. In
addition, new technologies released in the U.S. in 2015 and 2016
hold promise to improve outcomes further and may reduce common
complications resulting in explant such as the undesired changes in
paresthesia, issues with charging, pain at the implantable pulse
generator (IPG) site, and loss of pain relief.
"As our society has been seeking ways to stem opioid abuse and
addition, our company offers treatment options that can reduce
their exposure to opioid medication," said Allen Burton, M.D., medical director of
neuromodulation at Abbott. "Data like these are critical to helping
us demonstrate that spinal cord stimulation can reduce exposure to
opioids while giving patients comprehensive pain relief."
About Abbott's Chronic Pain Portfolio:
Chronic pain affects approximately 1.5 billion people worldwide,
more than heart disease, cancer and diabetes combined. The
condition can negatively impact personal relationships, work
productivity and a patient's daily routine. Abbott is a global
leader in the development of chronic pain therapy solutions and the
only medical device manufacturer in the world to offer
radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and spinal cord stimulation (SCS)
therapy solutions including BurstDR™ stimulation as well as
stimulation of the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) with the Axium™
Neurostimulation System and Proclaim™ DRG Neurostimulation
System.
About Abbott:
At Abbott, we're committed to helping people live their best
possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years,
we've brought new products and technologies to the world -- in
nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic
pharmaceuticals -- that create more possibilities for more people
at all stages of life. Today, 74,000 of us are working to help
people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150
countries we serve.
Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook
at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and
@AbbottGlobal.
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SOURCE Abbott