Altoona, Pa., March 31, 2005 Researchers from the Altoona Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center announced today that data presented at the 24th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society suggest that patch therapy provides similar pain relief as oral medications for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain. The exploratory study involved a head to head comparison of applying the lidocaine patch 5% (Lidoderm) or taking celecoxib (Celebrex) 200 mg per day.

In this study, results showed that at six weeks 54 % of patients treated in the lidocaine patch 5% (Lidoderm) group (N=56) and 62 % of patients in the celecoxib (Celebrex) group (N=63) experienced a 30 % or greater improvement in pain intensity. A 30 % or greater reduction in pain intensity is considered clinically meaningful to pain patients.

"These findings are encouraging for OA knee pain patients wanting alternatives to current oral medications," said Dr. Alan J. Kivitz, founder and lead physician, Altoona Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center, and study author. "With medication safety being on the minds of many people, it's promising for patients and their physicians that there are non-systemic therapies being studied for OA pain which may provide future options."

OA affects more than 20 million Americans annually and generates more than seven million physician visits per year. If left untreated, chronic pain conditions such as OA can have significant physical, psychological and financial consequences by impacting daily functioning and quality of life.

Analyzing results from 143 patients experiencing OA pain of either one or both knees, the randomized, open-label, active-control, parallel-group study found that clinically meaningful reductions in pain were noted in the lidocaine patch 5% and the celecoxib groups at week 12. In this study, 71 percent of patients in the lidocaine patch 5% group (N=24) and 72 percent of patients in the celecoxib group (N=39) experi
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Contact: Darren Roberts
darren_roberts@nyc.cohnwolfe.com
212-798-9778
Cohn & Wolfe
31-Mar-2005

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