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NEWARK, Calif. — Depomed Inc. has released Lazanda nasal spray along with a new, dedicated team of regional sales specialists and the new Signature Support Program.
The company said Monday that the Signature Support Program is designed to streamline patient access to Lazanda (fentanyl), indicated for the management of breakthrough pain in cancer patients age 18 and older who are already receiving and tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain.
"We recognize that patients with breakthrough cancer pain face many challenges, including reimbursement and access issues," stated Jim Schoeneck, president and chief executive officer of Depomed. "With the new Signature Support Program, patients can take advantage of a variety of coordinated resources to make sure the process of starting on Lazanda is as simple as possible."
According to Depomed, the program provides one-on-one support for health care professionals and their patients by offering several services, including benefit verification and prior authorization facilitation, reimbursement assistance with co-payment support, eligibility for up to a one-month free trial of Lazanda, a toll-free reimbursement support hotline, and monthly patient prescription reminders.
"Breakthrough pain is very common among cancer patients and can be properly managed to reduce the number and severity of episodes and the interference of daily activities," explained Dr. Emil Annabi, director of pain management and assistant professor of anesthesiology at the University of Arizona-Tucson. "Studies show that breakthrough pain is associated with poorer function and higher cost of care, which is why cancer patients need support services so they can focus on getting pain relief and not be troubled by reimbursement and access issues."
