SCILEX Pharmaceuticals Reports First-Line Treatments Including Lidocaine Patches for Post-Herpetic Neuralgia Are Significantly Underutilized
Data Presented Today at AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual
Meeting in San Francisco
MALVERN, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–SCILEX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a company engaged in the development and
commercialization of products focused on the treatment of pain, reported
data on how healthcare providers are currently treating patients with
post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and how their prescribing choices compare
with recommended guidelines. The data were presented in two studies at
the AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting in San
Francisco, CA.
A study titled “Treatment Patterns and Medication Use in Patients with
Post-Herpetic Neuralgia” (Abstract #B02) found that despite
evidence-based guidelines for PHN from the American Academy of Neurology
and other bodies, recommended first-line treatments are underutilized in
PHN patients. These recommended treatments, which include lidocaine
patches as well as gabapentin, pregabalin or tricyclic antidepressants,
were found to have been prescribed to 29 percent of a total of 63,271
PHN patients identified via examination of pharmacy and medical claims
in the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Commercial and Medicare
Supplemental database. In contrast, more than one in five (22 percent)
of PHN patients were found to be started on opioids as first-line
treatment and nine percent were started on NSAIDs as first-line
treatment. These analyses indicate substantial opportunity for provider
and payer education regarding the benefits of improved adherence to
guidelines for first-line PHN treatment.
A second study, titled “Opioid Analgesic Use and Polypharmacy Is Routine
in the Treatment of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia; a Potential Role for
Managed Care Intervention?” (Abstract #B27), found that among 5,033 PHN
patients identified using Cerner HealthFacts®, an
electronic database of aggregated, de-identified clinical and
administrative data from 614 US hospitals and health systems, 35 percent
received opioid analgesics, and opioids were most often used as
first-line therapy when prescribed despite recommendations that they be
used as second- or third-line agents. In contrast, topical lidocaine was
prescribed for 21.7 percent of patients. The data also indicated a high
degree of analgesic polypharmacy that potentially contributes to adverse
effects. In light of opioids’ prevalence in PHN treatment despite
well-documented safety issues, the study recommended that appropriate
pharmacological management should be based not only on efficacy but also
safety and tolerability. The study suggested that clinician adherence to
evidence-based treatment guidelines appears suboptimal and that managed
care organizations and pharmacists have an opportunity to assist in
applying evidence-based guidelines and raise awareness regarding the
potential risks associated with frequent prescribing of opioid
analgesics and CNS depressants to PHN patients. The poster of this
abstract received a silver medal at the AMCP 2016 Annual Meeting.
Abstracts for both studies can be found at the following link: http://www.amcpmeetings.org/pdf/meetingabstracts.pdf
Anthony P. Mack, CEO of SCILEX Pharmaceuticals, said, “These data show
first-line therapies for PHN patients are underutilized. There are a
number of first-line therapies including lidocaine topical patches that
have been shown to be safe and effective for PHN and can be used as part
of a multimodal treatment regimen.”
The AMCP Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy Annual Meeting is the
premier, must-attend meeting for managed care pharmacists; health plan
administrators and medical directors; doctors, nurses and other
practitioners who work on the pharmacy benefit; formulary
decision-makers; and Medicare Part D and Medicaid administrators.
About SCILEX Pharmaceuticals
SCILEX Pharmaceuticals, Inc., located in Malvern, PA, responsibly
develops and brings branded pharmaceutical products to market using
groundbreaking technologies that maximize quality of life for all. We
are uncompromising in our focus to become the global pharmaceutical
leader committed to social, environmental, economic, and ethical
responsibility. Dedicated to using our internal partnerships, we deliver
the next generation of trailblazing products that are responsible by
design. The Company’s lead product under development, ZTlido™ (lidocaine
patch 1.8%), is a branded lidocaine patch formulation for the potential
treatment of relieving the pain of postherpetic neuralgia, also referred
to as after-shingles pain. For more information visit www.scilexpharma.com.
ZTlido™ is a trademark owned by SCILEX Pharmaceuticals, Inc. A
proprietary name review by the FDA is planned.
HealthFacts is a registered trademark of Cerner Innovation, Inc.
SCI-011
Contacts
SCILEX Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
William Pedranti, 949-413-2672
wpedranti@scilexpharma.com
Media:
Dian
Griesel Int’l.
Susan Forman, 212-825-3210
