The ASM 2019 program includes 5 sponsored sessions over 2 days.
Find out more below and join us at one or more of the sponsored sessions this April.
Monday 8 April 2019 – 7:15 – 8:15am (includes breakfast) – Registration required
‘Is there a role for opioids in patients with chronic non-cancer pain?
Presenter: Professor Milton Cohen
The role of opioids in the management of patients with chronic non-cancer pain is the subject of hotly contested controversy that essentially pitches evidence against empiricism. This session is not intended to resolve this controversy but rather to provide a map and compass to help the clinician navigate these difficult waters more effectively. Discussion will revolve around the following themes:
- there are two “epidemics” occurring in parallel: one is inappropriate use of opioids (and indeed of other drugs), the other is chronic non-cancer pain itself
- the phenotype of “chronic pain” is complex and needs to be assessed in a sociopsychobiomedical framework
- drug therapy for patients with chronic non-cancer pain is only part of a multifaceted if not also multidisciplinary treatment approach
- any pharmacotherapy, including opioids, for patients with chronic non-cancer pain is always an ongoing trial of therapy
- in order to be effective pharmacotherapists for patients with chronic non-cancer pain, prescribers must have detailed knowledge of the pharmacology of all drugs used and of the regulations concerning their use
Monday 8 April 2019 – 7:15 – 8:15am (includes breakfast) – Registration required
Please refer to the website for latest updates.
Monday 8 April 2019, 5:30pm – includes canapés and drinks
Presenter: Professor Richard Langford MB, BS, FRCA, FFPMRCA
Chronic pain remains a management challenge. Limited advancement in this challenging therapeutic area means that healthcare professionals have had few new options to offer their patients. After many years of investigation, a novel potential therapeutic target is emerging – Nerve Growth Factor (NGF). This symposium will specifically consider:
- The classifications, epidemiology and unmet needs in the clinical management of chronic pain
- The lack of evidence for opioid effectiveness in chronic pain and the individual and societal issues with opioids
- The role of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) in chronic pain and;
- Provide an overview of the clinical development of novel approaches to target Nerve Growth Factor in chronic pain management
Tuesday 9 April 2019, 7:15 – 8:15 am (includes breakfast)
Sublingual Ketamine Wafer: Phase 2b Results of Wafermine in Acute Post-Operative Pain
Presenter: Dr Janakan Krishnarajah
Dr Krishnarajah, Chief Medical Officer of iX Biopharma Ltd, will present clinical trial results from the recently completed US Phase 2b study of Wafermine (sublingual ketamine wafer) in acute, moderate to severe post-operative pain.
Tuesday 9 April 2019, 7:15 – 8:15 am (includes breakfast)
Understanding Opioid Harm. Insights gained from Australian data.
Presenters:
- Dr Natasa Gisev, Senior Research Fellow, UNSW Sydney
- Associate Professor Malcolm Hogg, Head of Pain Services, Royal Melbourne Hospital
Opioids differ in the extent to which they are likely to be associated with problematic use due to different potencies, pharmacokinetic characteristics, and propensities for dependence. Given the broader context of rising rates of pharmaceutical opioid use and harms in Australia, monitoring use and extra-medical use of opioid formulations is critical. This presentation examines data from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre (NDARC) on pharmaceutical opioids pertaining to these factors in the post-marketing setting in Australia. What are appropriate service responses to opioid use in the community? A/Prof Hogg will explore clinical implications for persistent pain practitioners. Discussion will be based around in-hospital and community management options, including discharge policy, hospital medical officer training, transition clinics, GP education/communication, the recent introduction of the safe script monitoring system and the role of atypical opioids.
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