THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Health and Medicine Division
Board on Health Sciences Policy
Committee on the Assessment of the Available Scientific Data Regarding the Safety
and Effectiveness of Ingredients Used in Compounded Topical Pain Creams
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Congressional Briefing
Monday, May 11, 2020
via Conference Call – 1:00 p.m.
on
Compounded Topical Pain Creams: Review of Select Ingredients for Safety, Effectiveness, and Use
In recent years, the issues surrounding the complexity of pain management have contributed to increased demand for alternative strategies for treating pain. One such strategy is to expand use of topical pain medications—medications applied to intact skin. This non-oral route of administration for pain medication has the potential benefit, in theory, of local activity and fewer systemic side effects. Compounding is an age-old pharmaceutical practice of combining, mixing, or adjusting ingredients to create a tailored medication to meet the needs of a patient. The aim of compounding, historically, has been to provide patients with access to therapeutic alternatives that are safe and effective, especially for people with clinical needs that cannot otherwise be met by commercially available FDA-approved drugs.
This new report, from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, explores issues regarding the safety and effectiveness of the ingredients in these pain creams. This report analyzes the available scientific data relating to the ingredients used in compounded topical pain creams and offers recommendations regarding the treatment of patients.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on May 13, 2020 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.