Galena Begins RELIEF Patient Registry for Abstral Sublingual Tablets

Galena Biopharma

, a biopharmaceutical company commercializing and developing innovative, targeted oncology treatments that address major unmet medical needs to advance cancer care, today announced the initiation of the Company's Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved cancer patient registry study entitled RELIEF: Rapid Evaluation of Lifestyle, Independence, and Elimination of breakthrough cancer pain with Freedom from oral discomfort through the use of Abstral® (fentanyl) Sublingual Tablets. RELIEF is a post-marketing multicenter trial to assess Abstral for breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP) in opioid-tolerant cancer patients. Abstral is available to patients and health care professionals at pharmacies nationwide, and recruitment and enrollment for the registry trial is underway. RELIEF is a registry study to be completed by enrolled patients over a thirty day period while using Abstral for treatment of their breakthrough cancer pain. Approximately 2,500 patients are expected to enroll in the program.  Galena also announced the debut of Abstral's sales and marketing campaign at the PAINWeek conference taking place September 4-7, 2013 in Las Vegas, NV. With over 1,800 attendees, PAINWeek is one of the nation's largest pain conferences for healthcare professionals with an interest in pain management. Galena's commercial team is now fully staffed and on schedule for a fourth quarter launch with senior level executives and a highly experienced sales force. The Company's patient assistance and reimbursement program has been implemented and is being accessed by patients across the country.