Costs for pain-relieving creams for injured workers rose 10% from 2015 to 2019, despite the lack of approval from the Food and Drug Administration for most of the compound drugs, and a dearth of guidelines on use and efficacy, according to a study released Thursday by the Workers Compensation Research Institute.
WCRI ‘s data was based on data from 480,000 workers in 28 states who had prescriptions and suffered workplace injuries in 2018 and early 2019, with researchers monitoring prescription use and diagnoses over a one-year period.
The report showed that payment shares increased from 9% during the first quarter of 2015 to 19% during the first three months of 2020.
Dubbed “topical analgesics,” the products come in the form of creams, gels, patches and other solutions and have been lauded in recent years as an alternative to opioids for pain relief for muscles and nerves, although the report highlights that research is lagging. For example, the FDA has not approved many of these products, which are typically not included in evidence-based treatment guidelines for injured workers, the study says.
