More than 38 million surgeries were performed in the US in 2007. It is estimated that an average of more than 35% of surgical patients (and up to 80% of surgical patients in high risk cases) suffer from Post-Operative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV) within the first 24 hours after surgery. Nearly 50% of these same patients experience Post-Discharge Nausea and Vomiting (PDNV) after leaving the hospital (days 2-5).

Despite widespread use of anti-emetic drugs, PONV and PDNV remain a problem causing significant patient complications, longer hospital stays, decreased mobilization, increased morbidity, and patient dissatisfaction . This is especially true of nausea symptoms, since many of the commonly used medications are reportedly better at stopping vomiting than they are at relieving nausea.

Traditional anti-emetics used to treat PONV are costly, have significant side effects, carry the risk of drug-type reactions and may not be very effective, especially for PONV.