According to the American Pain Foundation, an estimated 75 million Americans suffer from pain every year (50 million from chronic pain and 25 million from acute pain due to injuries or surgery). Chronic pain, if left untreated, significantly impacts quality of life – affecting physical, psychological, social, and spiritual sense of well-being. In a 2003 article by Stewart and colleagues featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), surveys from various pain organizations indicate that one in three American adults lose more than 20 hours of sleep each month due to pain, and lost workdays due to pain add up to more than 50 million per year. Estimates based on these surveys project that pain costs Americans $100 billion each year, of which $61 billion is attributed to lost productivity.

Pain, like any other condition, requires appropriate therapy and monitoring. The early products in the Auxilium pain drug development program address acute pain management associated with medical procedures, as well as breakthrough pain and possibly chronic pain in follow-up programs. Auxilium will pursue partnering and licensing opportunities for some of these products.