Media Releases

Painaustralia has today called for meaningful and greater input for consumers as part of the approval processes for new devices and medicines in Australia.

Appearing at the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport - Approval processes for new drugs and novel medical technologies in Australia, Painaustralia CEO Carol Bennett said there must be a better way to consult consumers throughout the regulatory process as the current processes are leaving consumers disappointed and bereft of hope.

“Consumer input needs to be considered, valued and adopted when making decisions that have a real impact on the quality of life of those living with pain and other health conditions,” she said.

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Painaustralia has welcomed the announcement by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to down-schedule cannabidiol (CBD) and enable the availability of low-dose CBD over-the-counter (OTC) in pharmacies.

CEO of Painaustralia, Carol Bennett, said changes that provide more accessible and affordable pain management options are necessary. “While the number of people living with pain in Australia rises, there will still be significant gaps in access to, and understanding of, best practice holistic pain management. With the recent restrictions applied to opioids in Australia making pharmacological pain treatments less accessible, the schedule 3 listing of CBD and ready availability in pharmacies will add another drug to the list of available treatments. The major missing piece of the puzzle remains access to effective multidisciplinary treatment, but this move to make low dose medicinal cannabis available over the counter is a welcome increase in options available to people experiencing pain.”

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The release of the Productivity Commission Inquiry Report into Mental Health has again highlighted the fundamental need for a shift towards well targeted and innovative solutions to reach those who fall through the cracks of mental health services, including the 3.37 million Australians living with chronic pain.

‘We have seen unprecedented levels of spending on mental health in the past few years, with an increase in the burden of disease and costs of mental health problems. If we are to change this trajectory, we must look to find new solutions to old problems that continue to rise exponentially despite record investments,’ said Painaustralia CEO, Carol Bennett.

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Tara Moss has been announced as the latest Pain Champion for Painaustralia, joining the mission to improve the quality of life of people living with pain, their families and carers.

The announcement was made at an event held today by the Governor General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd) and Mrs Hurley, to formally launch Painaustralia’s Parliamentary Friends of Pain Management Group.

Tara Moss is an award-winning author, documentary producer, host and advocate. Since 1999 Tara has written 13 bestselling books, published in 19 countries and 13 languages. She is the winner of an Edna Ryan award and in 2017 was recognised as one of the Global Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life, for using her position in public life to make a positive impact in diversity.

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An innovative technology that uses facial recognition technology to assess and score pain levels in real time has been used to assess pain for aged care residents during the pandemic, leading the Federal Government to extend its funding period.

PainChek® is a clinically validated mobile app that uses artificial intelligence to assess micro-expressions in a person’s face and identify the presence and severity of pain in minutes and from up to a three-meter distance.

The Federal Government-funded national trial of PainChek in Australian residential aged care commenced just as the pandemic took hold, helping aged care staff detect and manage pain in residents with conditions such as dementia, who find it difficult to communicate.

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