Painkiller Efficacy in 2010 Less Than in 2000

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This research shows efficacy of analgesics decreasing since 2000.

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“The evidence for pharmacological treatment of neuropathic pain” publication is a good meta-analysis of the current state of evidence-based treatment of neuropathic pain.

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I have quoted extensively from the article as it is important.

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“Abstract: One hundred and seventy-four studies were included, representing a 66% increase in published randomized, placebo-controlled trials in the last 5 years. Painful poly-neuropathy (most often due to diabetes) was examined in 69 studies, postherpetic neuralgia in 23, while peripheral nerve injury, central pain, HIV neuropathy, and trigeminal neuralgia were less often studied. Tricyclic antidepressants, serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, the anticonvulsants gabapentin and pregabalin, and opioids are the drug classes for which there is the best evidence for a clinical relevant effect. Despite a 66% increase in published trials only a limited improvement of neuropathic pain treatment has been obtained. A large proportion of neuropathic pain patients are left with insufficient pain relief. This fact calls for other treatment options to target chronic neuropathic pain. Large-scale drug trials that aim to identify possible subgroups of patients who are likely to respond to specific drugs are needed to test the hypothesis that a mechanism-based classification may help improve treatment of the individual patients.”

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The black circles are recent circles, the light circles are from the past. Shift to the right means less effect.

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“Fig. 1. It shows the combined numbers needed to treat (NNT) values for various drug classes in all central and peripheral neuropathic pain conditions (not including trigeminal neuralgia). The figure illustrates the change from 2005 values in light grey to 2010 values in dark grey.  [emphasis mine]The circle sizes indicate the relative number of patients who received active treatment drugs in trials for which dichotomous data were available. Please note that the differences in study design and the patient populations preclude a direct comparison of NNT values across drug classes (see text). BTX-A: botulinum toxin type A; TCAs: tricyclic antidepressants; SNRIs: serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors; SSRIs: selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.”

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“Fig. 2. It shows the combined numbers needed to treat (NNT) values for different drug classes against specific disease etiologies. The symbol sizes indicate the relative number of patients who received active treatment drugs in the trials for which dichotomous data were available.”

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 A disease-based classification: fact or fiction?

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“Since (1) there are no clear indications that specific diseases should be treated with specific treatments, (2) symptoms and signs overlap in various neuropathic pain conditions [6], and (3) currently available drugs act with unspecific neurodepressant actions rather on pivotal pathophysiological mechanisms, at present there is no good rationale for a treatment algorithm that discriminates between underlying etiologies [45]. Nevertheless, the vast majority of trials have been done in painful diabetic neuropathy and PHN and few, if any, in certain other conditions (e.g. Guillain–Barré syndrome and small-fiber neuropathy), and recommending a treatment for other conditions may seem to be an unjustified jump.”

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“Supplementary Figure 1L’Abbé plot showing pain relief for all drugs for different neuropathic pain conditions. Each point illustrates one comparison against placebo (for trials listed in Supplementary Table 1). The axes indicate the percentage of patients with at least 50% pain relief with active and placebo treatment.© 2010 International Association for the Study of Pain”

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Conclusion

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“Pharmacological treatment still represents the main option for treating chronic neuropathic pain. Our understanding of neuropathic pain-generating mechanisms has grown considerably within the last few decades, but unfortunately this research has not been matched by a similar improvement in treatment efficacy. We are still limited in our efforts in managing neuropathic pain by relying on treating the symptoms of pain rather than identifying the underlying disease mechanisms causing the pain. Although 69 new randomized controlled trials have been published in the past 5years compared with 105 published trials published in the preceding 39years, only a marginal improvement in the treatment of the patients with neuropathic pain has been achieved.”

© 2010 International Association for the Study of Pain

The study is part of the European project, funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking

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