Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Analgesic efficacy and tolerability of flupirtine vs. tramadol in patients with subacute low back pain: a double-blind multicentre trial*.
To assess the efficacy and tolerability of flupirtine in comparison with tramadol for the treatment of moderate to severe subacute low back pain (LBP). ⋯ Flupirtine 100 mg three times daily was associated with a reduction in pain and improvements in functional capacity equivalent to that observed with tramadol 50 mg three times daily, and was better tolerated, when administered to patients with subacute back pain for one week. The limitations of this study were the lack of a placebo control and the short (7-day) duration of the study.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Dose-ranging study of fluticasone furoate nasal spray for Japanese patients with perennial allergic rhinitis*.
This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fluticasone furoate nasal spray (FFNS), a novel enhanced-affinity intranasal corticosteroid, in Japanese patients with perennial allergic rhinitis (PAR), and to determine the optimal dose. ⋯ Both FFNS 110 microg and 220 microg od were effective in alleviating nasal symptoms in Japanese patients with PAR over the 2-week duration of this study. FFNS 110 microg od was selected as the optimal dose for further evaluation in phase III clinical trials.
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Intra-articular hyaluronan (HA) or hylan is approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain. The authors review here published evidence of efficacy and safety of intra-articular HA for the treatment of knee pain. Since the systemic safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cyclo-oxygenase (COX-2) inhibitors for OA knee treatment are a current concern, the authors also offer recommendations for repositioning HA in the OA treatment paradigm. ⋯ Intra-articular HA or hylan has proven to be an effective, safe, and tolerable treatment for symptomatic knee OA. In an effort to limit cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and renal safety concerns with COX-2 selective and nonselective NSAIDs and maximize HA efficacy, the authors proposed using HA earlier in the treatment paradigm for knee OA and also as part of a comprehensive treatment strategy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Fixed-ratio combination oxycodone/naloxone compared with oxycodone alone for the relief of opioid-induced constipation in moderate-to-severe noncancer pain.
Opioid therapy is frequently associated with treatment-limiting constipation. Naloxone is an opioid antagonist with low oral systemic bioavailability. This Phase III clinical trial assessed the safety and efficacy of an oral fixed-ratio combination of oxycodone prolonged-release (PR) and naloxone PR compared with oxycodone PR in relieving opioid-induced constipation. ⋯ This double-blind, multicenter trial was conducted in specialist and primary care centers in four European countries in an out-patients setting. The study included 322 adult patients with moderate-to-severe, noncancer pain requiring opioid therapy in a range of >or=20 mg/day and
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Comparison of the clinical efficacy and safety of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate versus current care in the management of persistent asthma in Korea.
In the Asia-Pacific region there is a general preference for prescribing oral over inhaled medications for the treatment of asthma. This study compared inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone propionate therapy (SFC) with physician-determined current care (CC) in the management of persistent asthma in Korea. ⋯ Adult patients with a documented history of reversibility in FEV(1) (>or= 12%) or PEF (>or= 15%), were randomised in a 2:1 ratio to unblinded treatment with SFC (50/250 microg bd or 50/500 microg bd) via Diskus (N = 284) or CC (N = 140) for 52 weeks. Morning peak expiratory flow (PEF) (primary endpoint), exacerbations, asthma symptoms and patient-reported outcome measures were recorded.