NATICK, Mass., March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Boston Scientific Corporation today welcomed approval by the U.S. House of Representative's Energy and Commerce Committee of the National Pain Care Policy Act of 2009. The legislation will now move to consideration by the full House. It unanimously passed the House last year and was reintroduced this year by Rep. Lois Capps (D-California) and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Michigan).

If enacted, it will help evaluate the current state of chronic pain care in the United States. The Act expands research by the Pain Consortium at the National Institutes of Health on the causes and potential treatments for pain, provides greater education and training for healthcare professionals, creates a national pain management public awareness campaign, and calls on the Institute of Medicine to convene a conference on pain care.

"This bill will advance the cause for all pain patients by focusing much-needed attention on the seriousness of chronic pain," said Scott M. Fishman, M.D., Chief, Division of Pain Medicine, University of California, Davis. "As a pain physician, I applaud Congress for working to help further the understanding that pain is a complex medical condition that can affect the physical and mental well-being of millions of patients."

"We are very pleased that the House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved the National Pain Care Policy Act this early in the Congressional session," said Michael Onuscheck, President of Boston Scientific's Neuromodulation business. "We believe this action sends a strong message about the importance of proper pain care for the millions of patients who are in constant, debilitating pain. As a leader in this industry, Boston Scientific believes it is critical to improve care for pain patients. We will continue working to support this important legislation as it works its way through Congress."

Chronic pain affects an estimated 75 million Americans and presents a major challenge for the U.S. health care system.

About Boston Scientific

Boston Scientific is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a broad range of interventional medical specialties. For more information, please visit: www.bostonscientific.com.

About Boston Scientific Neuromodulation

Boston Scientific Neuromodulation is an innovation leader in implantable pain management technology. The use of pulses of electricity delivered directly to the nerves, known as Spinal Cord Stimulation, has been in use for more than 30 years without the unwanted side effects and long-term costs associated with pain medications and invasive surgical procedures such as spinal fusion. Spinal Cord Stimulation is a reversible therapy that has helped thousand of people find relief from chronic pain.

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SOURCE: Boston Scientific Corporation

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