• Pain on the average and pain right now scores on days 1, 7, 21, 30, 45, 60, 75, 84, and, if applicable, at early termination.
  

• Discontinuation due to lack of efficacy
  
• Medical Outcomes Study health survey
  
• therapeutic response
  
• patient preference
  
• daily patient diary for average pain
  
• time to stable pain management
  
• number of post-titration dose adjustments
  
• patient satisfaction.
  

Buprenorphine is a synthetic opioid analgesic with over twenty-five years of international clinical experience indicating it to be safe and effective in a variety of therapeutic situations for the relief of moderate to severe pain. Transdermal systems may offer advantages over currently indicated oral products including ease and convenience of use, improved compliance, possible reduction in patient care, and prolonged and consistent delivery of drug.

Inclusion Criteria:

• clinical evidence of stable, chronic (>2 months) back pain related to intervertebral disc disease, nerve root entrapment, spondylolithiasis, and osteoarthritis or other, similar nonmalignant conditions.
• unacceptable pain control despite currently taking a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug considered at a therapeutic and/or tolerated dose or, subjects currently taking </=2 short-acting opioid doses per day, or subjects taking 3-12 short-acting opioid doses per day.

Exclusion Criteria:

• receiving opioids at an average daily dose of >90 mg of oral morphine equivalents or receiving more than 12 tablets per day of short-acting opioid-containing products.
• scheduled to have surgery (including dental) involving the use of preoperative or postoperative analgesics or anesthetics during the study period.

Other protocol-specific exclusion/inclusion criteria may apply.