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NUCYNTA (Tapentadol Immediate Release) Versus Oxycodone Immediate Release in the Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain

This study has been completed.
Sponsor:
Collaborator:
Grünenthal GmbH
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
NCT00986180
First received: September 25, 2009
Last updated: December 17, 2012
Last verified: December 2012
History of Changes
  Purpose
Evaluate how NUCYNTA (tapentadol) immediate release (IR) compares with oxycodone IR in the treatment of acute low back pain.

Condition Intervention Phase
Pain
Back Pain
Low Back Pain
Back Pain With Radiation
 Drug: NUCYNTA
Drug: Oxycodone IR
 Phase 3

Study Type: Interventional
Study Design: Allocation: Randomized
Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
Official Title: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group Study of NUCYNTA (Tapentadol) Immediate Release vs. Oxycodone Immediate Release for the Treatment of Acute Low Back Pain

Resource links provided by NLM:

U.S. FDA Resources

Further study details as provided by Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC:

Primary Outcome Measures:
  • Sum of Pain Intensity Difference (SPID) for Low Back Pain - Summary Statistics at 120 Hours (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: 0 hour (prior to first dose) and 120 hours ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 120 hours.


Secondary Outcome Measures:
  • Sum of Pain Intensity Difference (SPID) for Low Back Pain - Summary Statistics at 2 Days (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 2 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 2 days.

  • SPID for Low Back Pain - Summary Statistics at 3 Days (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 3 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 3 days.

  • SPID for Low Back Pain - Summary Statistics at 10 Days (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 10 days.

  • SPID for Index Leg Pain - Summary Statistics at 2 Days (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 2 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 2 days.

  • SPID for Index Leg Pain - Summary Statistics at 3 Days (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 3 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 3 days.

  • SPID for Index Leg Pain - Summary Statistics at 5 Days (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 5 days.

  • SPID for Index Leg Pain - Summary Statistics at 10 Days (With Imputation) [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain intensity is an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). 0=no pain, 10=Pain as bad as you can imagine. The pain intensity difference (PID) was to be calculated as baseline pain minus current pain at each assessment time point. SPID is a weighted sum of PID over a specified time period, say 10 days.

  • Total Pain Relief (TOTPAR) for Low Back Pain - Summary Statistics at 5 Days [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Pain Relief - 5-Point Numerical Rating Scale, 0=None, 4=Complete. Total Pain Relief (TOTPAR) is a weighted sum of pain relieve over a specified time period, say 5 days.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Continuous Pain Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Continuous pain subscale descriptors include: throbbing pain, cramping pain, gnawing pain, aching pain, heavy pain, and tender.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Continuous Pain Day 10/Last Visit [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Continuous pain subscale descriptors include: throbbing pain, cramping pain, gnawing pain, aching pain, heavy pain, and tender.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Intermittent Pain Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Intermittent pain subscale descriptors include: shooting pain, stabbing pain, sharp pain, splitting pain, electric-shock pain, and piercing.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Intermittent Pain Day 10/Last Visit [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Intermittent pain subscale descriptors include: shooting pain, stabbing pain, sharp pain, splitting pain, electric-shock pain, and piercing.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Neuropathic Pain Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Predominantly neuropathic pain subscale descriptors include: hot-burning pain, cold-freezing pain, pain caused by light touch, itching, tingling or "pins and needles" and numbness.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Neuropathic Pain Day 10/Last Visit [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Predominantly neuropathic pain subscale descriptors include: hot-burning pain, cold-freezing pain, pain caused by light touch, itching, tingling or "pins and needles" and numbness.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Affective Descriptors Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Affective subscale descriptors include: tiring-exhausting, sickening, fearful, and punishing-cruel.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Affective Descriptors Day 10/Last Visit [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). Subscale scores are calculated as the mean of the items in that subscale ranged from 0 to 10. Affective subscale descriptors include: tiring-exhausting, sickening, fearful, and punishing-cruel.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Total Score Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). The total SF-MPQ-2 scale score is calculated as the mean of all 22 items. The range of the total score is 0 to 10.

  • SF-MPQ-2 - Change From Baseline Values: Subscale and Total Scores - Total Score Day 10/Last Visit [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire - 2 (SF-MPQ-2) is a 22-question instrument. Each item lists different qualities of pain or related symptoms and is scored using an 11-point NRS ranging from (pain or symptom is not present) to 10 (worst possible pain). The total SF-MPQ-2 scale score is calculated as the mean of all 22 items. The range of the total score is 0 to 10.

  • Patient Global Impression of Change at End of Study [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) assesses the subject's global improvement since starting study treatment using a 7-point NRS (1=very much improved, 2=much improved, 3=minimally improved, 4=no change, 5=minimally worse, 6=much worse, 7=very much worse).

  • Patient Global Impression of Change at End of Study [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/lst visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) assesses the subject's global improvement since starting study treatment using a 7-point NRS (1=very much improved, 2=much improved, 3=minimally improved, 4=no change, 5=minimally worse, 6=much worse, 7=very much worse).

  • Clinician Global Impression of Change at End of Study [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Clinician Global Impression of Change (CGIC) assesses the subject's global improvement since starting study treatment using a 7-point NRS (1=very much improved, 2=much improved, 3=minimally improved, 4=no change, 5=minimally worse, 6=much worse, 7=very much worse).

  • Satisfaction With Treatment at Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    The subject's satisfaction with treatment was assessed using a 7-point scale (1=Very satisfied, 2=Somewhat satisfied, 3=Slightly satisfied, 4=Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 5=Slightly dissatisfied, 6=Somewhat dissatisfied, 7=Very dissatisfied).

  • Satisfaction With Treatment at End of Study [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    The subject's satisfaction with treatment was assessed using a 7-point scale (1=Very satisfied, 2=Somewhat satisfied, 3=Slightly satisfied, 4=Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 5=Slightly dissatisfied, 6=Somewhat dissatisfied, 7=Very dissatisfied).

  • Incidence of 30% Responders Without Nausea or Vomiting at Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Number of subjects had ≥ 30% reduction from baseline in low back pain intensity without nausea or vomiting reported.

  • Incidence of 50% Responders Without Nausea or Vomiting at Day 5 [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 5 ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Number of subjects had ≥ 50% reduction from baseline in low back pain intensity without nausea or vomiting reported.

  • Summary of Treatment-Emergent Adverse Events Leading to Study Drug Discontinuation [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
  • Summary of Subjects Having Nausea as a Treatment-Emergent Adverse Event [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Number of subjects that reported nausea as a treatment-emergent adverse event during the study.

  • Summary of Subjects Having Vomiting as a Treatment-Emergent Adverse Event [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Number of subjects that reported vomiting as a treatment emergent adverse event during the study.

  • Summary of Subjects Having Constipation as a Treatment-Emergent Adverse Event [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Number of subjects that reported constipation as a treatment emergent adverse event during the study.

  • Summary of Subjects Having Pruritus as a Treatment-Emergent Adverse Event [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    Number of subjects that reported pruritus as a treatment emergent adverse event during the study.

  • Kaplan-Meier First Time to 30% Response From Baseline for Low Back Pain [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    30% response means >= 30% reduction from baseline in low back pain intensity score.

  • Kaplan-Meier First Time to 50% Response From Baseline for Low Back Pain [ Time Frame: Day 0 and Day 10/last visit ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]
    50% response means >= 50% reduction from baseline in low back pain intensity score.
Enrollment: 667
Study Start Date: September 2009
Study Completion Date: December 2010
Primary Completion Date: December 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
Arms Assigned Interventions
Experimental: 001
NUCYNTA 50 75 or 100 mg every 4 to 6 hours for up to 10 days as needed for pain
 Drug: NUCYNTA
50, 75, or 100 mg every 4 to 6 hours for up to 10 days as needed for pain
Active Comparator: 002
Oxycodone IR 5 10 or 15 mg every 4 to 6 hours for up to 10 days as needed for pain
 Drug: Oxycodone IR
5, 10, or 15 mg every 4 to 6 hours for up to 10 days as needed for pain

Detailed Description:
This is a randomized, outpatient, multicenter, double-blind study (blinded to patient and to study doctor) comparing NUCYNTA to oxycodone IR in the treatment of patients with acute (new onset) low back pain who also have associated leg pain that radiates (travels down) below the knee. Patients will be screened for study eligibility at Visit 1. The study will be explained and informed consent will be obtained. Potential patients must satisfy all eligibility criteria to be enrolled in the study. Eligible candidates will proceed to the Double-Blind Treatment Phase. At the time of study entry, all prohibited medications will be discontinued and will be disallowed throughout the study. All patients will call into an interactive voice response system (IVRS) to complete a pain assessments twice daily throughout the study. Patients who discontinue early for any reason will be instructed to contact the study site to complete final assessments, prior to taking supplemental pain medication if applicable, and to schedule a final study visit. All patients will return to the study site on Day 5 (Visit 2) where they will be evaluated by study personnel and, as appropriate, continue with study treatment for an additional 5 days. Patients will return to the study site for the final visit on Day 10/End of Study (Visit 3) when they will have all final study assessments. The treatment duration will be up to 10 days. The sponsor will collect adverse events starting with the signing of the informed consent form. Adverse events will be reported by the subject for the duration of the study. Any clinically significant abnormalities persisting at the end of the study will be followed by the investigator until resolution or until a clinically stable endpoint is reached. Blood samples for serum chemistry and hematology and a urine sample for urinalysis will be collected. The investigator will review the laboratory report, document this review, and record any clinically relevant changes occurring during the study. The following tests will be performed by the central laboratory: Urine Pregnancy Testing for women of childbearing potential only, Urine Drug Screen, Vital Signs (pulse rate and blood pressure), Physical Examination, Neurological Examination, and Vomiting Assessment. The study will be conducted at approximately 80 sites in the United States (US). Patients will be randomized to one of the two following treatment groups: NUCYNTA 50, 75 or 100 mg every 4 to 6 hours up to 10 days as needed for pain. Oxycodone IR 5, 10 or 15 mg every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain. Patients will begin treatment on Day 1 with one "lower dose" capsule of study drug (NUCYNTA 50 mg or oxycodone IR 5 mg). Subsequent dose adjustments will be made by study patients, as needed, to achieve a dose that provides a meaningful improvement in their pain intensity
  Eligibility
Ages Eligible for Study:   18 Years and older   (Adult, Senior)
Genders Eligible for Study:   Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:   No
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

  • At Visit 1 (study entry) patients must have a medical history and physical and neurological examinations that support a clinical diagnosis of acute low back pain that is felt down to the lower leg below the knee with the onset no longer than 30 days before Visit 1
  • At Visit 1 patients must report qualifying pain intensity scores
  • Patients must be appropriate candidates for treatment with oral opioid pain medication in the investigator's clinical judgment
  • Patients must be able to appropriately verbalize pain characteristics and to complete all protocol required measurements/assessments without assistance
  • Patients must be medically stable on the basis of physical examination, medical history, vital signs, and clinical laboratory tests performed at screening

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of back (cervical, thoracic or lumbosacral) pain =50% of the time in the 1 year prior to the first visit
  • History of any low back pain episode, with the exception of the current acute low back pain episode, within 3 months prior to the first visit that was greater than mild in pain intensity, or was associated with disability (e.g., loss of time from work, family, or activities of daily living), or necessitated the use of an opioid (narcotic) analgesic including tramadol
  • Medical history or physical examination results that suggest the acute low back pain or any of the neurological symptoms or signs are caused by a serious medical condition (e.g., fever, chills, unexplained weight loss, bowel or urinary bladder dysfunction or incontinence, bilateral leg weakness, progressive weakness, paralysis)
  • There is a high probability for surgical intervention for the back pain during the projected time on the study or that there will be an increase in the severity of the leg pain or deficits
  • Had either a surgical procedure involving the spine or intervertebral discs in the lower back region within 1 year prior to Visit 1 or had >1 surgical procedure(s) involving the spine or intervertebral discs in the lower back region
  • has any painful condition that could interfere with the study assessments or with the patient's ability to differentiate the pain associated with the acute low back pain episode from pain associated with another condition
  • History of severe lumbar spinal stenosis, fibromyalgia, or ankylosing spondylitis
  • history of epilepsy or recurrent seizures
  • Unable or unwilling to discontinue all prohibited medications at the time of randomization and during the time of their participation in the study
  • Known or suspected history of alcohol or drug abuse based on medical history, physical examination, urine drug screening, or the investigator's clinical judgment
  • History of cancer malignancy within 2 years prior to the first visit, with the exception of basal cell skin carcinoma
  • Have filed or plan to file a worker's compensation claim for any issue related to the current acute low back pain episode
  • Currently involved in litigation or plan to seek legal recourse for any issue related to their acute low back pain
  • Known allergies, hypersensitivity, or intolerance to tapentadol or the comparator (oxycodone) or any excipients used in their manufacture
  • Had previously been enrolled in a tapentadol clinical study
  • is pregnant or are breast-feeding
  Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00986180

  Show 74 Study Locations
Sponsors and Collaborators
Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
Grünenthal GmbH
Investigators
Study Director: Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC Clinical Trial Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
  More Information

Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):

Responsible Party: Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00986180     History of Changes
Other Study ID Numbers: CR015643  R331333PAI3025  KF5503/51 
Study First Received: September 25, 2009
Results First Received: November 23, 2011
Last Updated: December 17, 2012
Health Authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC:
Acute Low Back Pain
Low Back Pain With Leg Pain Below The Knee
Radiculopathy, Oxycodone
Tapentadol
NUCYNTA

Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Back Pain
Low Back Pain
Pain
Neurologic Manifestations
Nervous System Diseases
Signs and Symptoms
Oxycodone
 Analgesics, Opioid
Narcotics
Central Nervous System Depressants
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Analgesics
Sensory System Agents
Peripheral Nervous System Agents

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 23, 2016