Post-Operative Pain | Current Treatment: Physician Insights | US | 2017

In an attempt to mitigate postoperative pain following surgical procedures, patients may be administered analgesics/anesthetics intraoperatively, postoperatively, and at hospital discharge. Opioids, NSAIDs/acetaminophen, and local anesthetics dominate this market; particular drug classes and formulations vary throughout the surgical treatment algorithm. A wealth of generic options exists to treat postoperative pain, but still-branded agents such as Ionsys, Opana (parenteral), Dyloject, Exparel, Caldolor, and Sprix offer improvements over older agents in mode of delivery, duration of effect, and/or reduction in overall opioid consumption. However, brands struggle to gain traction in a market filled with inexpensive and effective agents. Given the crowded and competitive postoperative pain landscape, it is necessary for marketers of current branded therapies, as well as developers of emerging analgesics and local anesthetics, to understand the many decision points and challenges that surgical specialists and anesthesiologists face when treating this indication. The Current Treatment (U.S.) content provides a detailed snapshot of how U.S. physicians are managing their patients with moderate to severe postoperative pain in the hospital setting, as well as insight into the factors driving such prescribing habits.

Questions answered:

• Postoperative pain is treated with a variety of pharmacological approaches. Which drug classes and agents are used most often for moderate to severe postoperative pain? At which stages of treatment (intraoperative, postoperative, at discharge) are they administered/prescribed? How common is polypharmacy, and what are common drug combinations?
• Both surgical specialists and anesthesiologists are involved in the treatment of postoperative pain. How do treatment approaches and administration/prescribing patterns vary between physician specialties? In which stages of treatment are surgical specialists and anesthesiologists most involved?
• Nonpharmacological measures can supplement pharmacological analgesic therapy for postoperative pain patients. How often are nonpharmacological approaches used? What are the most common nonpharmacological methods used for postoperative pain, and how does the use of these approaches differ between surgical specialists and anesthesiologists?
• Generic agents are often preferred over branded analgesics in the postoperative pain market. What role do branded agents play in the treatment of moderate to severe postoperative pain? What are the drivers and obstacles to using select branded therapies? How have surveyed physicians changed their use of branded agents over the past 12 months, and what changes do they expect in the next 12 months?
• Scope:
  • Markets covered: United States
  • Methodology: Survey of 51 surgical specialists and 50 anesthesiologists in the United States, completed in January 2017.
  • Indication coverage: Moderate to severe postoperative pain
  • Key drugs covered: Caldolor, Dyloject, Exparel, Ionsys, Ofirmev, Opana (parenteral), Sprix
  • Key companies mentioned: Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Pacira Pharmaceuticals, The Medicines Company, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Egalet