Expert opinion on drug safety
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Expert Opin Drug Saf · Jan 2015
EditorialThe safety of liposome bupivacaine 2 years post-launch: a look back and a look forward.
The need for better post-surgical pain management continues to be unmet, despite clinicians' awareness and concern for many years. Opioids remain the standard of care because of their analgesic efficacy; however, opioid use is often associated with adverse effects and poor patient outcomes. Multimodal analgesic regimens have recently been endorsed as a way to provide adequate post-surgical pain control while reducing opioid consumption. ⋯ Based on the available clinical trial data compiled to date, as well as the author's review of publicly available post-marketing safety information, liposome bupivacaine may be a viable addition to currently available therapeutic options for post-surgical analgesia while reducing potential risks associated with use of opioid analgesics, and may represent a useful addition to the multimodal analgesic modalities currently used for post-operative pain management. The potential for its use in other areas is also being investigated. The purpose of this review is to examine the currently available post-marketing safety information on liposome bupivacaine.