Revolutionizing Acute Pain Relief: Emerging Nonopioid Therapies and the Essential Role of Managed Care

Program Description

Acute pain carries a significant economic burden. Opioids, while often effective for short-term pain relief, contribute to this burden through potential long-term complications like addiction, overdose, and related health care utilization, increasing overall costs. Traditional nonopioid therapies, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen, offer opportunities for potential long-term cost-effectiveness by minimizing these opioid-related complications. Emerging drugs that target voltage-gated sodium channels may offer opportunities to manage acute pain. Managed care professionals and pharmacists must consider emerging evidence for nonopioid therapies as well as guidelines for acute pain management to support balanced, patient-centered approaches with each treatment strategy. This supplement will explore the clinical and economic burdens associated with managing acute pain as well as opportunities to reduce health care utilization through evidence-based guidelines, such as CDC recommendations for acute pain management, that emphasize the prioritization of nonopioid therapies for acute pain management. Key managed care strategies, including formulary management, utilization management techniques, and legislative and operational strategies to promote access to nonopioid therapies, will be reviewed.

Target Audience: Managed care pharmacists

Type of Activity: Application
Release date: March 31, 2025
Expiration date: March 10, 2026
Learner level: Foundational
Time to complete activity: 2.0 hours
Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Examine the clinical and economic burden and challenges of managing acute pain within current treatment paradigms.
• Analyze the clinical trial data on the efficacy and safety of novel nonopioid pain treatments, comparing them to traditional opioid therapies.
• Investigate the unmet need and economic burden of acute pain management.

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education^™ is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 2.0 contact hours (0.20 CEU) under the ACPE universal activity number 0290-0000-25-017-H08-P. The activity is available for CE credit through March 10, 2026.

Instructions for Completing the Activity and Receiving CPE Credit

To receive CPE credit, participants must complete the pretest, view the activity in its entirety, complete the posttest, and complete the online activity evaluation. After successful completion of the online activity evaluation, you can submit your credit to CPE Monitor. You may view your credit within 48 hours at www.mycpemonitor.net. All participants must request credit before the activity expiration date. CE credit will not be issued after this date.

Disclosures

The following contributors have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose:

Faculty

Megan T. Mitchell, PharmD, MS
Stephanie Spence, PharmD, CSP

Medical Writing and Editorial Support

Kelsey Giara, PharmD, RPh
Brianna Winters, MA

Pharmacy Times Continuing Education^™ Planning Staff—Jim Palatine, RPh, MBA; Maryjo Dixon, RPh, MBA; Adam C. Welch, PharmD, MBA, FAPhA; Crissy Wilson; Susan Pordon; Chloe Taccetta; and Rebecca Green have no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

At least one anonymous peer reviewer was used as part of content validation and conflict resolution. The peer reviewer has no relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Educational Disclaimer
CPE activities are offered solely for educational purposes and do not constitute any form of professional advice or referral. Discussions concerning drugs, dosages, and procedures may reflect the clinical experience of the author(s) or they may be derived from the professional literature or other sources and may suggest uses that are investigational in nature and not approved labeling or indications. Participants are encouraged to refer to primary references or full prescribing information resources.

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