The Journal of Pain Research Features the Publication of the RELIEF Study, a Topical Analgesic Pain Relief Study Conducted by Clarity Science

FLORHAM PARK, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / June 29, 2020 / Hisamitsu America, the marketers of Salonpas^®, announce today that The Journal of Pain Research, an international, peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on pain research and the prevention and management of pain, features the publication, in June 2020, of the RELIEF study: “Relieving Pain: Evaluating Patient Quality of Life Improvement – Perceptions, Experience and Feedback After Use of a Topical Pain Relief Patch,” an exploratory pain management study, conducted by Clarity Science.

The comprehensive Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study evaluated whether a topical analgesic pain-relieving patch containing methyl salicylate (10%), Menthol (6%) and Camphor (3.1%) could reduce pain severity and improve function in patients with mild-to-moderate arthritic, neurological or musculoskeletal pain as compared to oral over-the-counter (OTC) agents (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, acetaminophen, and other pain medications such as creams, gels, roll-ons, sprays, patches or rubs, prescription NSAIDs (e.g., ibuprofen, naproxen, celecoxib, meloxicam or diclofenac), prescription opioids (e.g., fentanyl, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine or oxycodone), or prescription anticonvulsants (e.g., gabapentin or pregabalin).

The treatment group for the RELIEF study included 152 adult patients with arthritis, neurological, or musculoskeletal pain who received the Salonpas_® Pain Relieving Patch for 14 days. A control group included 47 patients who did not receive the patch – 34 of whom crossed over to evaluate their response to patch treatment as well.

Pain severity in treated patients decreased significantly, by 49.0% compared to 12.3% in patients in the control group, while function significantly improved by 58.1% compared to 14.8% in patients in the control group. Additionally, no side effects of treatment were reported. Also, at day 14, 60.5% of the treated patients were using concomitant oral pain medications a lot less and 90.8% of patients were very or extremely satisfied with the patch. Patients in the crossover group showed similar reductions in pain severity and improvement in function.

“Clinical treatment guidelines increasingly recommend the first-line use of topical analgesics, largely based on safety concerns associated with oral medications such as oral NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, and anticonvulsants, which require substantial systemic exposure in order to have their therapeutic effect and pose associated risk of serious adverse events,” said Dr. Jeffrey Gudin, the Principal Investigator of the RELIEF study who is board certified in pain management, anesthesiology, addiction medicine and palliative care. Dr. Gudin is affiliated with Englewood Hospital Medical Center and Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Dept. of Anesthesiology, and is an author, researcher and opinion leader in pain management. “The RELIEF study not only supported the safety of this multimodal topical analgesic (Salonpas Pain Relieving Patch), it also supported the treatment’s significant pain relieving effect in patients with mild to moderate pain, its favorable impact on function, and illustrated that its use reduced the use of oral NSAIDs, acetaminophen, opioids, and anticonvulsants.”

“Our mission is to provide people in pain with clinically proven topical analgesics and practitioners with the clinical proof they need to confidently recommend our products for their patients,” said John Incledon, the President of Hisamitsu America Inc. “Prior to the RELIEF study, Hisamitsu supported the clinical evaluation of another one of it products, the Salonpas^® Pain Relief Patch LARGE. The study was a well-controlled clinical study involving 208 patients with mild to moderate pain. Patients treated with the product experienced significantly more pain relief versus patients treated with a placebo patch and the majority of patients rated satisfaction with the product as good, very good, or excellent. This study ultimately supported an FDA approval of a New Drug Application for the product, making it not only the first FDA approved OTC topical analgesic, but also the only OTC pain reliever, systemic or topical, that is approved to treat mild and moderate pain. We will continue to provide people in pain and health care practitioners with clinical proof of the efficacy and safety of our products, so stay tuned for more news to come.”

Oral pain relievers, mainly opioids, NSAIDs and acetaminophen are leading causes of serious adverse events (SAE’s); addiction, hospitalization for CV & GI risk, liver toxicity, and death. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that since 2000, over 200,000 people in the USA have died from overdose of prescription opioids. In 2016, the CDC issued guidance to physicians managing chronic pain without opioids, that topical analgesics can be an alternative first line therapy.

Based in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Clarity Science, LLC conducts scientifically rigorous and valid research that advances innovation in science and ultimately helps healthcare professionals provide improved patient care, leading to improved patient health worldwide.

Hisamitsu America provided a grant to Clarity Science to administer and conduct the IRB-approved study to collect data on patient outcomes for Quality of Life (QoL) components, pain relief scores and assessment of severity of pain and its impact on functioning, patient satisfaction, and an evaluation of differences, reported medical conditions and other prescribed or OTC oral medications commonly associated with pain.

About Hisamitsu America:

Hisamitsu America is the US division of Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc., founded in 1847, which has specialized in transdermal drug delivery system technology since the introduction of its Salonpas line of patches in 1934. The Salonpas^® product line, which gained early acceptance in Asia and is now registered in over 30 countries, has pioneered the development of transdermal patches to relieve pain. Since 2010, Salonpas has become one of the fastest growing OTC brands in the USA. The Salonpas Pain Relief Patch LARGE holds the distinction of being the first topical analgesic approved OTC by the FDA and the only one to be approved for the treatment of mild to moderate pain. Salonpas became the most popular pain relief brand on Facebook in 2020. For more information, https://us.hisamitsu/.

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Media Contact:

Nancy Thompson, Vorticom, Inc.
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SOURCE: Hisamitsu America

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