National Efforts

REMS: The FDA and Pain Medications

What are REMS and what do they have to do with people who live with pain? How can you make a difference in shaping pain policy?  Read the latest about how REMS  has the potential to affect the lives of millions of people who live with pain and the health care professionals who care for them and visit the new REMS FAQ to learn more.

Learn more:

• APF’s Position Statement on REMS
• Pain Care Forum REMS Task Force Recommendations

Campaign of End Chronic Pain in Women, Opportunity to Support a Congressional Hearing

Last month, a Coalition of organizations, called the Overlapping Conditions Alliance, successfully launched the Campaign to End Chronic Pain in Women. There is already growing Congressional interest in this effort, but we need your help today! Click here to see how you can help! *Note: you will only be able to take action if your representative sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Over 3,000 People Supported and Signed Acetaminophen Petition 

In 22 days, 3,255 signatures were collected in support of American Pain Foundation’s (APF) Acetaminophen:  Educate, Do Not Regulate petition urging the Food and Drug Administration to not remove access to acetaminophen medications but to develop a public awareness and education campaign about the risks and safe use of acetaminophen and to improve the labeling of medications containing this product.

Signatures from residents of almost every state of the Union, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia were collected.  On September 28, 2009, APF submitted the position statement and petition summary, which contained comments from the petition signers on how the FDA Advisory Committee’s recommendations would create barriers for people in pain.

APF would like to thank everyone who took action and signed the petition and offered their comments.  We applaud the support of the entire pain community, including people living with pain, healthcare providers, family members and friends in making a difference.

To read the text of the petition and the heartfelt comments provided by members of the pain community, click here. 

Read position statement with addendum submitted to the Federal docket>>

APF Leadership and Advocates Provide Testimony at FDA Advisory Committee Meeting

Don Bivens, MD, Mary Bennett, and Maggie Buckley

American Pain Foundation’s Director of Advocacy Mary Bennett, Board Member Maggie Buckley and Power Over Pain Action Network leader from Virginia, Don Bivins provided public testimony at the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Advisory Committee Meeting on September 24, 2009 to discuss and vote on the application for a reformulated oxycodone hydrochloride (OxyContin).  Read Mary Bennett’s written testimony, Maggie Buckley’s written testimony and Dr. Don Bivin’s written testimony.

Members of the FDA’s Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee voted 14 to 4 at the end of the meeting to recommend approval of a new formulation of OxyContin.

Senate HELP Committee Amends National Pain Care Policy Act as Part of Health Care Reform Legislation (June 23, 2009)

APF is pleased to report that the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee members voted unanimously to include the National Pain Care Policy Act 2009 (S660) as an amendment to the national health care reform bill. Over 300 amendments were proposed for addition to the health care reform bill and 46 amendments, including S660, were accepted.

We are one step closer in having the voices of the millions who struggle with pain heard by the President of the United States! We applaud Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT) for introducing S660 and all of their colleagues in the HELP Committee for recognizing the need for improving pain care and pain management in the U.S.

More information on the National Pain Care Policy Act >>

Last Updated: 07/21/10