Paul Rolan

Last updated

Paul Rolan
BornJanuary 1956 (age 68) [1]
Medical career
ProfessionDirector - Innovation
Field Pharmacology
Institutions University of Adelaide
Sub-specialtiesTreatment of chronic pain and headache
Website www.profpaulrolan.com.au

Paul Edward Rolan (born January 1956) is an Australian physician, medical researcher, academic, and public health advocate. He specializes in the management of chronic pain and headache, and development of novel treatments.

Contents

After his medical training, Rolan worked as Director of Medicine at Cairns Base Hospital and then moved to the UK where he developed new medicines for almost 20 years. Returning to Australia, he took on academic and research roles at the University of Adelaide, becoming the Head of School of Medical Sciences in 2014. Since 2016 he has been the Director of Innovation for the Faculty of Health Sciences. He jointly established the university's Pain and Anaesthesia Research Clinic (PARC). He holds several consultant and board positions, and is Vice President of the Friends of Science in Medicine.


Medical career

Rolan studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, receiving his MBBS in 1979. From 1979 to 1985 he held hospital intern, research and specialist training positions. After obtaining his medical qualifications, Rolan worked at Cairns Base Hospital as Director of Medicine in 1986-7.

Subsequently, Rolan moved to the UK, where he spent nearly 20 years developing new medicines in the pharmaceutical industry. Initially he worked as Head of Clinical Pharmacokinetics for Wellcome Research Laboratories from 1987 to 1994. [2] In the course of this he was responsible for the development of a novel anti-migraine compound, and this was when he developed a particular interest in headaches, which would remain a focus throughout his career. The novel conceptual work on the use of biomarkers in exploratory development at Wellcome formed the basis of his MD from the University of Adelaide in 1995; his thesis subject was "The exploratory clinical development of tucaresol, an antisickling agent, using a novel surrogate marker". [3] In 1994 he moved into the role of Medical Director at the contract research company Medeval. He has been Principal Investigator in over 700 clinical research studies. [2] [4]

Rolan returned to the University of Adelaide in 2005. From 2005 to 2014 he was Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Adelaide and Senior Consultant in the Pain Management Unit at Royal Adelaide Hospital. [5] In 2014 he was appointed Head of School of Medical Sciences. In 2015-2016 he worked as Director of Drug Development at iX Biopharma, Singapore, then he returned to the University of Adelaide in 2016 as Director of Innovation for the Faculty of Health Sciences. [2]

Rolan partnered with Guy Ludbrook, Professor of Anaesthesia at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, to research links between chronic pain and the immune system. [5] This led them to establish the Pain and Anaesthesia Research Clinic (PARC) within the Royal Adelaide Hospital. PARC is a clinical research unit that blends academic and commercial disciplines. It undertakes commercial studies on behalf of the international pharmaceutical industry, generally in the areas of pain and anaesthesia with drugs that often have a narrow therapeutic index, so intense medical and nursing care are needed. Retained profits from PARC support the university's academic research program. [4] [6]

Rolan was a member of the National Medicines Policy Committee and represented it at the Asia-Pacific regional level. [7] Since 2016 he has been Consultant Chief Medical Officer to the biopharmaceutical company Bionomics Ltd. [8] He consults as a pain physician to Wellend Health, [9] and since 2018 a Pain Management Senior Consultant Physician at the Specialist Ambulatory Rehabilitation Centre (SpARC), Modbury Hospital. [10] He is a non-executive Director of Lipotek, [11] a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of GPN Vaccines, [12] and a Committee member of the Australian Pain Relief Association. [13]

Rolan's major clinical and academic focus is in treatment of chronic pain, from the underlying causes of disease to development of biomarkers and evaluation of new therapies. Other research interests include predicting drug interactions with oral anticoagulants and decision support software regarding drug interactions for GPs. [6] [4]

Community engagement

In addition to his formal academic roles, Rolan has actively promoted public health and a science-based approach to medicine.

He is often called on by media to give expert commentary on a wide range of pharmaceutical topics including chronic headache caused by long-term overuse of medication, [14] how codeine can increase pain sensitivity, [15] implications of sex bias in medical trials, [16] and the use of Botox for treating migraines. [17]

What do you call an alternative medicine that works?
It's a medicine.

- Paul Rolan, [18]

His expertise is also utilized on matters of alternative health practices and scams, such as alkaline water which he described as "a nine or 10 on the Richter scale of BS", [19] or the billions of dollars Australians are spending on unproven vitamins and nutrition supplements. [18]

He gained significant media attention in 2011 after he raised a formal complaint with the Therapeutic Goods Administration about false and misleading advertising by the popular over-the-counter medicine Nurofen. [20] [21]

In 2019 Rolan took on the role of Vice President of the "Friends of Science in Medicine", [22] which the University of Adelaide says "promotes evidence-based medicine and opposes the uncritical spread of unproven alternative therapies". [23]


Published works

As of February 2021, Google Scholar lists 154 publications by Rolan, [24] and PubMed lists 98. [25] Google Scholar estimates his h-index as 42. [24]

He has also published the following book chapters:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Analgesic</span> Drugs used to achieve relief from pain

An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in some instances eliminate, sensation, although analgesia and anesthesia are neurophysiologically overlapping and thus various drugs have both analgesic and anesthetic effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Migraine</span> Disorder resulting in recurrent moderate-severe headaches

Migraine is a genetically influenced complex neurological disorder characterized by episodes of moderate-to-severe headache, most often unilateral and generally associated with nausea and light and sound sensitivity. Other characterizing symptoms may include vomiting, cognitive dysfunction, allodynia, and dizziness. Exacerbation of headache symptoms during physical activity is another distinguishing feature. Up to one-third of migraine sufferers experience aura, a premonitory period of sensory disturbance widely accepted to be caused by cortical spreading depression at the onset of a migraine attack. Although primarily considered to be a headache disorder, migraine is highly heterogenous in its clinical presentation and is better thought of as a spectrum disease rather than a distinct clinical entity. Disease burden can range from episodic discrete attacks to chronic disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headache</span> Pain in the head, neck, or face

Headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of depression in those with severe headaches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibuprofen</span> Medication treating pain, fever, and inflammation

Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is used to relieve pain, fever, and inflammation. This includes painful menstrual periods, migraines, and rheumatoid arthritis. It may also be used to close a patent ductus arteriosus in a premature baby. It can be used orally or intravenously. It typically begins working within an hour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cluster headache</span> Neurological disorder

Cluster headache is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent severe headaches on one side of the head, typically around the eye(s). There is often accompanying eye watering, nasal congestion, or swelling around the eye on the affected side. These symptoms typically last 15 minutes to 3 hours. Attacks often occur in clusters which typically last for weeks or months and occasionally more than a year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amitriptyline</span> Tricyclic antidepressant

Amitriptyline, sold under the brand name Elavil among others, is a tricyclic antidepressant primarily used to treat major depressive disorder, and a variety of pain syndromes such as neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, migraine and tension headaches. Due to the frequency and prominence of side effects, amitriptyline is generally considered a second-line therapy for these indications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sumatriptan</span> Medication used for migraines & cluster headaches

Sumatriptan, sold under the brand name Imitrex among others, is a medication used to treat migraine headaches and cluster headaches. It is taken orally, intranasally, or by subcutaneous injection. Therapeutic effects generally occur within three hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ergotamine</span> Chemical compound in the ergot family of alkaloids

Ergotamine, sold under the brand name Ergomar among others, is an ergopeptine and part of the ergot family of alkaloids; it is structurally and biochemically closely related to ergoline. It is structurally similar to several neurotransmitters, and it acts as a vasoconstrictor. It is used for acute migraines, sometimes with caffeine as the combination ergotamine/caffeine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methysergide</span> Chemical compound

Methysergide, sold under the brand names Deseril and Sansert, is a monoaminergic medication of the ergoline and lysergamide groups which is used in the prophylaxis and treatment of migraine and cluster headaches. It has been withdrawn from the market in the United States and Canada due to adverse effects. It is taken by mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mexiletine</span> Pair of enantiomers

Mexiletine (INN) is a medication used to treat abnormal heart rhythms, chronic pain, and some causes of muscle stiffness. Common side effects include abdominal pain, chest discomfort, drowsiness, headache, and nausea. It works as a non-selective voltage-gated sodium channel blocker and belongs to the Class IB group of anti-arrhythmic medications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naratriptan</span> Chemical compound

Naratriptan (trade names include Amerge) is a triptan drug marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and is used for the treatment of migraine headaches. It is a selective 5-HT1 receptor subtype agonist.

Preventive treatment of migraine can be an important component of migraine management. The goals of preventive therapy are to reduce the frequency, painfulness, and/or duration of migraine attacks, and to increase the effectiveness of abortive therapy. Another reason to pursue prevention is to avoid medication overuse headache (MOH), otherwise known as rebound headache, which can arise from overuse of pain medications, and can result in chronic daily headache. Preventive treatments of migraine include medications, nutritional supplements, lifestyle alterations, and surgery. Prevention is recommended in those who have headaches more than two days a week, cannot tolerate the medications used to treat acute attacks, or those with severe attacks that are not easily controlled.

Migraine may be treated either prophylactically (preventive) or abortively (rescue) for acute attacks. Migraine is an complex condition; there are various preventive treatments which disrupt different links in the chain of events that occur during a migraine attack. Rescue treatments also target and disrupt different processes occurring during migraine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donitriptan</span> Chemical compound

Donitriptan (INN) is a triptan drug which was investigated as an antimigraine agent but ultimately was never marketed. It acts as a high-affinity, high-efficacy/near-full agonist of the 5-HT1B and 5-HT1D receptors, and is among the most potent of the triptan series of drugs. Donitriptan was being developed in France by bioMérieux-Pierre Fabre and made it to phase II clinical trials in Europe before development was discontinued.

Eptinezumab, sold under the brand name Vyepti, is a medication used for the preventive treatment of migraine in adults. It is a monoclonal antibody that targets calcitonin gene-related peptides (CGRP) alpha and beta. It is administered by intravenous infusion every 3 months.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galcanezumab</span> Monoclonal antibody

Galcanezumab, sold under the brand name Emgality, is a humanized monoclonal antibody used for the prevention of migraine. It is also used for the treatment of cluster headaches.

Fremanezumab, sold under the brand name Ajovy, is a medication used to prevent migraines in adults. It is given by injection under the skin.

Menstrual migraine is the term used to describe both true menstrual migraines and menstrually related migraines. About 7%–14% of women have migraines only at the time of menstruation. These are called true menstrual migraines. Most female migraineurs experience migraine attacks throughout the menstruation cycle with an increased number perimenstrually, these are referred to as menstrually related or menstrually triggered migraine.

References

  1. ↑ "MARINE CONSERVATION SOCIETY - Officers". Companies House. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 "Professor Paul Rolan | Researcher Profile". researchers.adelaide.edu.au. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  3. ↑ Paul, Rolan. "Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). www.profpaulrolan.com. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Rolan, Paul (May 2012). "Interview: A clinical pharmacologist's journey in pain research and treatment". Pain Management. 2 (3): 205–207. doi:10.2217/pmt.12.12. PMID   24654663.
  5. 1 2 "Curing chronic pain". www.adelaide.edu.au. University of Adelaide. Autumn 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Paul Rolan". The Conversation. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  7. ↑ "Asia Pacific Conference on National Medicines Policies" (PDF). Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  8. ↑ "Scientific Advisors". www.bionomics.com.au. Bionomics. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  9. ↑ "About Us - Our Team". Wellend Health. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  10. ↑ "NALHN researcher profiles". www.sahealth.sa.gov.au. SA Department for Health and Wellbeing. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
  11. ↑ "Board of Directors". www.lipotek.com.au. Lipotek Pty Ltd. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  12. ↑ "Advisors". GPN Vaccines. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  13. ↑ "Responsible People - Australian Pain Relief Association Ltd". Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  14. ↑ Swift, James; Johnson, Jacinta; Rolan, Paul (March 2015). "New Ways to Split a Headache | Australasian Science Magazine". Australasian Science. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  15. ↑ Schriever, Jordanna (12 September 2013). "Codeine can actually increase pain". The Advertiser. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  16. ↑ Gerathy, Sarah (6 October 2010). "Women left behind in medical research trials". AM. ABC. Accession Number:P6S236656452510. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  17. ↑ Rose, Danny (2 September 2011). "FED:Botox migraine treatment queried". AAP Australian National News Wire. Accession Number:74C2970500763.
  18. 1 2 Thompson, Geoff; Ferguson, Sarah (13 February 2017). "Swallowing It". Four Corners. In the Transcript, near the bottom of the article.: Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  19. ↑ Hansen, Jane (17 February 2019). "Paleo Pete Evans in hot 'alkaline' water". Daily Telegraph (Sydney). p. 7.
  20. ↑ Harvey, Dr Ken (5 March 2015). "ACCC targets alleged false and misleading Nurofen claims" . Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  21. ↑ Hanna, Mark (29 August 2014). "Nurofen: Does It Really Target Pain?". Honest Universe. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Who are we? FSM Executive". Friends of Science in Medicine. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  23. ↑ "Emeritus Professor Alastair MacLennan". www.adelaide.edu.au. The University of Adelaide Staff Directory. Retrieved 1 March 2018.
  24. 1 2 "Prof Paul Rolan". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  25. ↑ "Rolan P[Author] - Search Results - PubMed". PubMed. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
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