Millions suffer from acute or chronic pain every year and the effects of pain exact a tremendous toll on our country in health care costs, rehabilitation and lost worker productivity, as well as the emotional and financial burden it places on patients and their families. The costs of unrelieved pain can result in longer hospital stays, increased rates of re-hospitalization, increased outpatient visits, and decreased ability to function fully leading to lost income and insurance coverage.
Physicians have many choices for the treatment of pain, but neither NSAIDs nor narcotics are suitable alternatives for patients that need long term therapy or belong to a high risk group. Finding a treatment for pain that is both effective and safe for long term use is an imperative for the millions of affected patients as well as the healthcare community which seeks to contain the economic and emotional costs of this prolific epidemic.