APS 2012: Neuropathic Pain

At the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Meeting, investigators reported that a 5-minute application of NGX-1998, a novel liquid formulation of high concentration capsaicin (10% and 20% w/w) provided effective pain relief for up to 12 weeks for the management of peripheral neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).

In patients with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), once-daily gabapentin 1,800mg improved all pain scores, as well as sleep and enjoyment of life interference scales, reported Misha Backonja, MD, from Lifetree Clinical Research, Salt Lake City, UT, and colleagues at the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Meeting.

Pregabalin is an effective treatment for patients who experience below-level neuropathic pain following a spinal cord injury, according to data presented at the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Meeting.

Severity of sleep disturbance in patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) or post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) may be predictive of patient response to pregabalin treatment for neuropathic pain reduction, a presentation at the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Meeting has found.

Tapentadol extended-release (ER) is a safe and effective option for the management of moderate to severe neuropathic pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), investigators reported at the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific meeting.

Onset of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) pain relief with a once-daily gastroretentive formulation of gabapentin can be observed as early as the second day of dosing, reported Mark Jensen, PhD, from University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, and colleagues at the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Meeting.

The percentage of patients in community-practice settings who newly initiate opioid therapy while taking gabapentin and pregabalin for postherpetic neuralgia suggest these agents should be titrated to higher and potentially more effective dosages, a study presented at the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Meeting has found.

Patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) or postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) treated with pregabalin have rapid, significant, and sustained improvement in sleep, according to a posthoc analysis of 16 placebo-controlled trials of pregabalin in 4,527 patients reported during the American Pain Society’s 31st Annual Scientific Meeting.