BHR Pharma salutes BIAA's efforts to raise awareness on concussion

Julian Bailes, MD, BHR Pharma, LLC's Lead Advisor for Moderate Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) today released the following statement regarding Brain Injury Awareness Month:

"BHR Pharma salutes the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) for its concerted efforts to raise awareness about the dangers and proper treatment of concussions everywhere from playgrounds to professional sports arenas.  BIAA is correctly pointing out through its advocacy that concussions are TBIs, with the potential for serious, debilitating and long-term effects.  

"TBI is defined as a non-degenerative, non-congenital insult to the brain from an external mechanical force, possibly leading to temporary or permanent impairments of cognitive, physical and psychosocial functions with an associated diminished or altered state of consciousness.

"According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. hospital emergency departments treat an estimated 3.8 million sports- and recreation-related concussions annually.  It is time that athletes of all ages and their coaches completely move away from 'play through pain' attitudes in relation to concussions.  

"During Brain Injury Awareness Month, it is also important to recognize that traumatic brain injuries range from concussions to severe head trauma, such as injuries sustained in traffic accidents – a leading cause of TBI in the world, accounting for 40-50 percent of hospitalizations.  Approximately 1.7 million Americans per year suffer a traumatic brain injury, resulting in 52,000 deaths, 275,000 hospitalizations and 80,000 cases of long-term disability.

"Although the prognosis for patients that are hospitalized with a severe form of TBI is generally not very promising, current research is pointing to a future of treatment that potentially offers these patients and their families hope for better quality of life.  In particular, two multi-center, Phase 3 clinical trials are worth noting.  They are BHR Pharma's SyNAPSe (http://www.synapse-trial.com/) and Emory University's ProTECT III (http://em.emory.edu/protect/) trials.  Both are evaluating the safety and effectiveness of progesterone as a neuroprotective agent for treating moderate to severe TBI.

"The success of these studies requires that study staff quickly reach family members to request permission to enroll their loved one in the trial. Although it may occur at a time of great personal pain and confusion, the families' difficult decision-making – usually in an emergency room setting – will go a long way in helping advance TBI treatment."