Pain Research and Treatment: Policy Implications

Pain is a subjective experience for which we lack a thorough mechanistic understanding. While it has often been considered a secondary symptom of a disease, research has revealed that chronic pain can be recognized as a disease of its own. Preclinical studies often use animal models to understanding the pathology and test potential therapies with clinical trials of novel analgesics often showing underwhelming results. From a clinician's perspective, pain can be challenging to treat without incurring undesirable drug effects. Pain research, diagnosis, and treatment have changed dramatically over the last two decades. This has coincided with shifts in reliance on opioid-based approaches to managing pain. Here we present an overview of recent advances in preclinical research, novel approaches to diagnosis and treatment, along with considerations for animal care. Collectively, this report may provide a guide on which to base relevant policy changes that would meet the demands of societal need and satisfy the need for scientific evidence.