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Research approaches for evaluating opioid sparing in clinical trials of acute and chronic pain treatments: Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials recommendations

  • Jennifer S. Gewandter
  • , Shannon M. Smith
  • , Robert H. Dworkin
  • , Dennis C. Turk
  • , Tong J. Gan
  • , Ian Gilron
  • , Sharon Hertz
  • , Nathaniel P. Katz
  • , John D. Markman
  • , Srinivasa N. Raja
  • , Michael C. Rowbotham
  • , Brett R. Stacey
  • , Eric C. Strain
  • , Denham S. Ward
  • , John T. Farrar
  • , Kurt Kroenke
  • , James P. Rathmell
  • , Richard Rauck
  • , Colville Brown
  • , Penney Cowan
  • Robert R. Edwards, James C. Eisenach, McKenzie Ferguson, Roy Freeman, Roy Gray, Kathryn Giblin, Hanna Grol-Prokopczyk, Jennifer Haythornthwaite, Robert N. Jamison, Marc Martel, Ewan Mcnicol, Michael L. Oshinsky, Friedhelm Sandbrink, Joachim Scholz, Richard Scranton, Lee S. Simon, Deborah Steiner, Kenneth Verburg, Ajay D. Wasan, Kerry Wentworth
  • University of Rochester
  • University of Washington
  • Stony Brook University
  • Queen's University Kingston
  • United States Food and Drug Administration
  • WCG Clinical, Inc.
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • University of California at San Francisco
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Indiana University Bloomington
  • Harvard University
  • Carolinas Pain Institute
  • Department of Research and Development and Medical Affairs
  • American Chronic Pain Association
  • Wake Forest University
  • Southern Illinois University
  • GW Pharmaceuticals
  • Biogen IDEC
  • McGill University
  • Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
  • National Institutes of Health
  • George Washington University
  • Division of Research and Development
  • SDG LLC
  • Sarepta
  • Pfizer
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • Flexion Therapeutics Inc.

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

38 Scopus citations

Abstract

Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of opioid analgesics for the treatment of acute and chronic pain conditions, and for some patients, these medications may be the only effective treatment available. Unfortunately, opioid analgesics are also associated with major risks (eg, opioid use disorder) and adverse outcomes (eg, respiratory depression and falls). The risks and adverse outcomes associated with opioid analgesics have prompted efforts to reduce their use in the treatment of both acute and chronic pain. This article presents Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT) consensus recommendations for the design of opioid-sparing clinical trials. The recommendations presented in this article are based on the following definition of an opioid-sparing intervention: any intervention that (1) prevents the initiation of treatment with opioid analgesics, (2) decreases the duration of such treatment, (3) reduces the total dosages of opioids that are prescribed for or used by patients, or (4) reduces opioid-related adverse outcomes (without increasing opioid dosages), all without causing an unacceptable increase in pain. These recommendations are based on the results of a background review, presentations and discussions at an IMMPACT consensus meeting, and iterative drafts of this article modified to accommodate input from the co-authors. We discuss opioid sparing definitions, study objectives, outcome measures, the assessment of opioid-related adverse events, incorporation of adequate pain control in trial design, interpretation of research findings, and future research priorities to inform opioid-sparing trial methods. The considerations and recommendations presented in this article are meant to help guide the design, conduct, analysis, and interpretation of future trials.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2669-2681
Number of pages13
JournalPain
Volume162
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 2021

Keywords

  • Clinical trial methods
  • IMMPACT recommendations
  • Opioid sparing

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