APS 2010 Chronic Non-Cancer Pain

At the American Pain Society 29th Annual Scientific Meeting, a panel discussion on methadone prescribing evaluated the risks and benefits of methadone, individual responses to methadone, and concluded with a review of methadone’s potential for cardiotoxicity.

Subcutaneous methylnaltrexone does not affect pain intensity or analgesic use in patients with chronic nonmalignant pain and opioid-induced constipation, according to a study presented at the American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.

Duloxetine 60 mg once daily was effective in reducing chronic low back pain compared with placebo, results of a phase III randomized, double-blind study have shown according to data presented at the American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting. Perception of improvement was also significantly greater among patients receiving duloxetine.

Tapentadol extended-release (ER), an investigational drug, was associated with better gastrointestinal tolerability in elderly patients with moderate-to-severe chronic pain, with fewer discontinuing the study due to treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) than oxycodone controlled-release (CR), investigators concluded in a presentation during the 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society.

Determining an effective opioid dose for chronic pain in patients who become opioid tolerant can be challenging. In fact, effective dosing of a rapid-onset transmucosal opioid for breakthrough pain is not related to the around-the-clock dose, studies have shown. However, few data exist on the effective dose of the more traditional, short-acting oral opioids, according a study presented at the 29th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Pain Society.
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Patients with moderate-to-severe chronic pain can be successfully converted from prior opioid therapy to EXALGO (hydromorphone HCl) extended-release tablet, an extended-release (ER) oral formulation of hydromorphone HCl, according to a presentation at the American Pain Society 29th Annual Scientific Meeting. Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration on March 1, 2010, EXALGO is the only ER formulation of hydromorphone available in the US.

Up to 3600 mg total daily doses of gabapentin enacarbil, a transported prodrug of gabapentin, significantly improves neuropathic pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia compared with placebo according to a study presented at The American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.

In patients with fibromyalgia, milnacipran efficacy is not affected by the presence of comorbid migraine headache, examination of pooled data from three randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of the dual serotonin- and norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitor has found.The study was presented at The American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.

Patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) reported significantly less pain after treatment with gabapentin enacarbil, a nondopaminergic therapy under investigation for this neurological condition, compared with placebo according to a study presented at The American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.

Patients with chronic nonmalignant pain who receive methylnaltrexone for opioid-induced constipation have improved bowel movement frequency and quality, investigators reported during the American Pain Society’s 29th Annual Scientific Meeting.