France: new pain management outside the hospital

Air Liquide has just obtained an extended approval from the French Healthcare Authority (AFSSAPS) for its analgesic medication KALINOX™. This premix 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen medicinal gas offers a new response to the issues of short painful medical treatments (such as punctures, minor surgeries and dental care) in ambulant care services.

Already used in France for nearly 10 years, but exclusively in hospitals, KALINOX™ has contributed to improve pain management efficiency. Extending its use beyond the hospital to local healthcare practitioners in France - after training - will help them to handle painful, often anxiety-producing treatments, many of which, up to now, had been carried out exclusively in hospitals.

Already used by local healthcare practitioners in Belgium, Switzerland and Spain, KALINOX™ is a medicinal gas with analgesic and sedative properties, appropriate for use with all patients: children, adults and the elderly. Its pharmacological properties enable rapid action and elimination and make it easy for practitioners to administer. Packaged in a ready-to-use bottle, it is inhaled by the patient.

In an environment that seeks to promote healthcare cost control, this medicinal gas will encourage the transfer of some hospital treatments to ambulant care services, which are less costly and more comfortable for patients.

Pascal Vinet, Vice-President, Healthcare World Business Line and Healthcare Operations, commented: “Making KALINOX™ available to healthcare professionals in the community is part of our growth strategy and also contributes to reducing healthcare costs. Air Liquide is pursuing its strategy of innovating in ways that protect patients and improve their quality of life. Health is a growth driver for the Group.”

 

* AFSSAPS: Agence Française de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits de Santé