FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Purdue Pharma
Dedicates State-of-the-Art Research Center in New Jersey’s “Pharma
Corridor”
CRANBURY, NJ, June 25,
2002 – Purdue Pharma L.P., a leading distributor of prescription and
over-the-counter medications, dedicated its new Discovery Research Center
here today. The keynote speaker at the event was Patrick Mantyh, PhD, JD,
Director of the Neurosystems Center at the University of Minnesota. Dr.
Mantyh is a nationally recognized researcher in the basic mechanisms that
generate and maintain chronic pain. Clifton R. Lacy, MD, New Jersey
Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, also spoke at the dedication
ceremony and read a proclamation from New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey.
“This building
represents Purdue Pharma’s commitment to discovering new chemical entities
and immunotherapies that could ultimately become medicines to ease the
pain of cancer and other diseases,” said Tage Honore, PhD, Vice President,
Discovery Research, at Purdue Pharma.
With the opening of the
115,000-square-foot facility, the company is able to consolidate into a
single facility research activities that had previously been located at
several sites in New Jersey and California. In addition to providing
state-of-the-art laboratories for its scientists, the masonry and glass
building was designed to facilitate communication and teamwork among its
scientists with comfortable meeting spaces, ample workspace outside the
labs, and a spacious library. Approximately 115 employees are currently
located at the Discovery Research Center; anticipated expansion should
eventually bring the total up to 200.
The impact of chronic
pain, both in terms of diminished quality of life for patients and
economic cost to society, is substantial. The American Pain Foundation
estimates that 50 million Americans suffer from chronic pain. The
National Institutes of Health estimates the cost of chronic pain to the
workers compensation system to be around $100 billion annually. Pain management has also
gained increased attention in New Jersey. As a result of legislation
co-sponsored by State Senator Peter A. Inverso (R-Cranbury), the New
Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services is developing regulations
for licensed health care facilities to monitor pain in patients as a fifth
vital sign. (This means that pain would be charted for all hospital
patients along with blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and temperature.)
This is a standard practice of the Veterans Administration Hospital
System, the largest single healthcare system in the world today.
Purdue Pharma L.P. is a
privately held pharmaceutical company known for its pioneering research on
chronic pain and associated treatments. The company is headquartered in
Stamford, Connecticut, with manufacturing operations located in Totowa,
NJ. Purdue is engaged in the research, development, production and
distribution of both prescription and over-the-counter medications and
hospital products. Additional information about Purdue can be found at
www.purduepharma.com.
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