Janssen-Cilag announce release of new pain management system

Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Janssen-Cilag has announced that its needle-free system for the management of acute post-operative pain is now available in Germany, the UK and Ireland.

Ionsys is to be released in these three countries first before additional launches get underway across Europe later this year.

The fentanyl iontophoretic transdermal system does not require needles, pumps, catheters or intravenous pump stands when being administered.

Consequently, Janssen-Cilag states that the treatment eliminates the risk of needle-stick injuries and infection.

Ionsys is also praised for making administration of post-operative pain management a less intrusive and time-consuming task.

Previous research has highlighted an unmet need for new options to manage post-operative pain.

In particular, a survey of European anaesthesiologists found that over half of all respondents were dissatisfied with therapeutic options to manage post-operative pain on surgical wards.

In November 2007, the European commission granted marketing authorisation to a type II variation of the Ionsys system after a change was made to the product packaging and package leaflet.

Last month, Janssen-Cilag submitted a Marketing Authorisation Application to the European Medicines Evaluations Agency for the use of Velcade (Bortezornib) in patients with previously untreated multiple myeloma.