10/12/2013

Aachen, Germany, October 12, 2013. Today´s third International Day Against Pain is designed to give a voice to people suffering from pain, to provide information about the treatments that are available, to create a global alliance to broadcast the right to treatment and to raise funds for scientific research.

Pain – particularly chronic pain – is a global issue. Statistics indicate that one in five people worldwide suffer from pain and that one in three is unable to maintain an independent lifestyle due to their pain. Between one-half and two-thirds of people with chronic pain have problems working and sleeping, and relationships with family and friends are difficult. So pain is a health, financial and social problem as well, to which national and international institutions have paid little attention.

The International Day Against Pain is promoted by the ISAL Foundation, in conjunction with medical societies and patients’ associations in Italy, Australia, Canada, Columbia, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Spain and the United States. “The goal of the International Day Against Pain is to stamp out indifference; firstly by informing those who suffer, and secondly by asking medical institutions and groups to raise awareness and make diagnosis and treatment tools available to all,” stated Professor Raffaeli, President of the ISAL Foundation. “We will launch an appeal to the United Nations from each country,” he concluded, “so that the fight against suffering is recognised as a basic necessity for all.”

Grünenthal is providing its unconditional support for the initiative. “We believe that the involvement of a pharmaceutical company such as Grünenthal is significant and useful for raising collective awareness about the needless fight against pain. Our company is leading the way in providing both innovative treatment and also training and information programmes, which have a crucial role to play in spreading a culture of treating pain amongst general practitioners, specialists and therapists” stated Alberto Grua, Chief Commercial Officer EU, Australia and North-America, Grünenthal Group. Grünenthal has contributed, amongst other activities, to a self-management brochure entitled “the CHANGE PAIN Pain Toolkit”, which will be distributed in 100 cities in Italy where ISAL is organising information initiatives to mark the third International Day Against Pain. Another central activity will be the CHANGE PAIN patient survey that aims to collect information that can be used to develop further projects to support patients in the management of persistent pain.

The survey will be distributed in Italy but also be available online in several countries.

The ISAL Foundation

Established by Professor William Raffaeli in 1993, the ISAL Foundation (Institute for Research on Pain or Istituto di ricerca e formazione in scienze algologiche) operates throughout Italy and has the most extensive network in Italy. The ISAL Foundation promotes awareness, research and medical training in the area of pain treatment. Together with Carta BCC, the ISAL Foundation set up the Freephone number 800 101288, a call center manned by a specialist medical team (open from Monday to Friday, between 10am and 4pm).

 About CHANGE PAIN®

CHANGE PAIN® is an initiative aiming to enhance the understanding of the needs of patients with chronic pain and to develop solutions to improve pain management. Initiated by the German pain expert Grünenthal in 2009 and endorsed by the European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain (EFIC®), CHANGE PAIN® involves 21 pain experts from across Europe and the US. The initiative focuses on three strategic pillars: Research – Publish – Educate.

More information: www.change-pain.com.

About Grünenthal

The Grünenthal Group is an independent, family-owned, international research-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Building on its unique position in pain treatment, its objective is to become the most patient-centric company and thus to be a leader in therapy innovation. Grünenthal is one of the last five remaining research-oriented pharmaceutical companies with headquarters in Germany which sustainably invests in research and development. Research and development costs amounted to about 26 percent of revenues in 2012. Grünenthal’s research and development strategy concentrates on selected fields of therapy and state-of-the-art technologies. We are intensely focused on discovering new ways to treat pain better and more effectively, with fewer side-effects than current therapies. Altogether, the Grünenthal Group has affiliates in 26 countries worldwide. Grünenthal products are sold in more than 155 countries. Today, approx. 4,400 employees are working for the Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2012, Grünenthal achieved revenues of €973 mn.

More information: www.grunenthal.com.

About Grünenthal
The Grünenthal Group is an independent, family-owned, international research-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Building on its unique position in pain treatment, its objective is to become the most patient-centric company and thus to be a leader in therapy innovation.

Grünenthal is one of the last five remaining research-oriented pharmaceutical companies with headquarters in Germany which sustainably invests in research and development. Research and development costs amounted to about 26 percent of revenues in 2012. Grünenthal’s research and development strategy concentrates on selected fields of therapy and state-of-the-art technologies. We are intensely focused on discovering new ways to treat pain better and more effectively, with fewer side-effects than current therapies.

Altogether, the Grünenthal Group has affiliates in 26 countries worldwide. Grünenthal products are sold in more than 155 countries. Today, approx. 4,400 employees are working for the Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2012, Grünenthal achieved revenues of €973 mn.

More information: www.grunenthal.com.