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Our commitment
to pain management
The conquest of pain has been
a major goal since long before the
birth of modern medical science. Throughout
history, folk remedies have claimed
to be helpful for this purpose.
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Opium's ability to ease pain
during surgery was apparently
recognised and exploited more
than 2000 years ago, and the
analgesic properties of alcohol
have been recognised for centuries.
However, the routine control
of pain, in both daily life
and during surgery, has only
been possible in the last century
or so.
Over the past decades, our
researchers have written a key
chapter in the history of pain
relief, thereby revolutionising
the practice of surgery.
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Early developments
in management of pain
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The founder of the Janssen
Research Foundation, Dr Paul
Janssen, became interested in
pain relief as early as 1953,
when his professional research
work began. Success came early,
with the synthesis of dextromoramide
in 1956. Later, Janssen researchers
discovered fentanyl, which has
now been in use for over 30
years and remains the most widely
used anaesthetic in the world.
In over 50 countries, our
compounds are used routinely
for the relief of moderate to
severe pain.
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Recent
developments in management of pain
Our commitment to developing medicines
for the relief of pain continues.
In addition to the mainstay anaesthetic,
fentanyl, newer products have been
developed. Like fentanyl, these agents
produce pain relief by binding to
specific receptors in the brain, thereby
blocking the transmission of pain
signals. SUFENTA™ (sufentanil),
for instance, is 1,000 times more
potent than morphine, making it ideal
for use during major surgery such
as heart transplants. Bill Schroeder,
the first man to receive an artificial
heart, in what turned out to be a
six-hour operation, was anaesthetised
with sufentanil.
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Most patients with cancer need
analgesics. Janssen-Cilag is
committed to raising awareness
of the need for pain relief
in these patients with the help
of a physician education programme.We
are also striving to improve
available treatments through
continuing research and product
development. One such product,
DUROGESIC™, is used
for the management of chronic,
intractable pain due to cancer.
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It is delivered by means of
a special skin patch, which
releases the active product
(fentanyl) continuously into
the body's circulation over
a three-day period. The development
of this drug has increased the
number of treatment options
available to patients requiring
analgesia for continuous cancer
pain. Janssen-Cilag is also
carrying out a number of research
programmes which may lead to
the development of new products
for the relief of non-cancer
pain.
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