CHADDS FORD, Pa., December 6, 2004 Beginning today, Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc. will initiate commercial shipments of the first and only single-dose epidural injection that can provide up to 48 hours of pain control to help ease pain for people undergoing major surgery in the United States. Every year, millions of Americans undergo painful procedures such as Cesarean sections, hip and knee replacements, and abdominal surgery. The many methods of relieving pain after such procedures include some that require catheters or IV (intravenous) lines. DepoDur (morphine sulfate extended-release liposome injection) is delivered as a single epidural shot using the innovative DepoFoam technology that allows the painkiller to be released into the epidural space over time. This may reduce the need for external tubes and pumps that are common with other forms of pain management following major surgery.

"DepoDur is good news for people having major surgery and is also a welcome change for physicians," said Gavin Martin, M.D., assistant clinical professor of anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center. "With DepoDur^TM, we can provide effective pain control for patients with fewer cumbersome devices, possibly improving the hospital experience and accelerating their recovery."

Unlike common formulations of morphine that are administered epidurally, DepoDur does not require an indwelling catheter for continuous pain relief. Indwelling catheters are tubes placed in a patient's spine to deliver pain medicine. Such catheters can make it difficult for patients to move around after surgery, can increase the risk of infection and can limit options for administration of anticoagulant (blood thinning) therapy. Another common method to relieve pain after surgery is by delivering the pain medication intravenously through patient-controlled analgesia pumps (IV PCA). Unfortunately, with IV PCA there can be equipment malfunction or patient error, leading to under-
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Contact: Vilena Katanova
vilena_katanova@nyc.cohnwolfe.com
212-798-9737
Cohn & Wolfe
6-Dec-2004

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