This is a phase III, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study of the clinical response to fentanyl sublingual spray as a treatment for breakthrough cancer pain. The study medication is administered under the tongue as a simple spray and can be self-administered by patients or assisted by their caregivers. Patients are titrated to an effective-dose of fentanyl sublingual spray in the open-label titration period and then proceed to the double-blind randomized period where they randomly receive 7 treatments with fentanyl sublingual spray and 3 treatments with placebo. Patients are treated for up to a total of 6-7 weeks (including both the open-label titration and the double-blind randomized periods).
RATIONALE Fentanyl sublingual spray may help relieve breakthrough pain in patients receiving opioids for cancer pain. OBJECTIVES Primary * Determine the efficacy and safety of fentanyl sublingual spray for the treatment of breakthrough cancer pain in patients on around-the-clock opioids for their persistent cancer pain. Secondary * Evaluate the safety of fentanyl sublingual spray in these opioid-tolerant patients. * Assess the patient's satisfaction with treatment medication.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE
Enrollment
130
In the open-label titration period of the study, participants started at a dose of 100, 200, or 400 µg and titrated upward to a maximum dose of 1600 µg. Titration was stopped when the dose administered provided adequate analgesia for breakthrough pain without unacceptable side effects or the maximum titration period of 21±5 days was reached. In the double-blind period of the study, participants received fentanyl sublingual spray in doses of 100, 200, 400, 600, 800, 1200, or 1600 µg determined in the open-label titration period of the study.
Matching placebo to fentanyl sublingual spray.
InSys Therapeutics, Incorporated
Chandler, Arizona, United States
Summed Pain Intensity Differences (SPID) at 30 Minutes After Dosing (SPID30)
Pain intensity was assessed by the participant using a 0-100 mm visual analog scale where 0 represented "no pain" and 100 represented "worst possible pain" at 0 (baseline, beginning of the pain episode), 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes after each dose of study medication during each breakthrough pain episode. The pain intensity difference was defined as the difference in pain intensity at the various time points versus time 0 (baseline). SPID30 was calculated as the time-weighted sum of the PID scores using the following formula: SPID30=(5\*PID5)+(5\*PID10)+(5\*PID15)+(15\*PID30). The minimum and maximum SPID30 scores were -3000 and 3000. A higher score indicates less pain.
Time frame: Baseline (time 0, beginning of each pain episode) through 30 minutes after dosing for each pain episode
Summed Pain Intensity Differences (SPID) at 5, 10, 15, 45, and 60 Minutes After Dosing
Pain intensity was assessed by the participant using a 0-100 mm visual analog scale where 0 represented "no pain" and 100 represented "worst possible pain" at 0 (baseline, beginning of the pain episode), 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after each dose of study medication during each breakthrough pain episode. The pain intensity difference was defined as the difference in pain intensity at the various time points versus time 0 (baseline). SPID was calculated as the time-weighted sum of the PID scores using the following formulas: SPID5=(5\*PID5), SPID10=(5\*PID5)+(5\*PID10), SPID15=(5\*PID5)+(5\*PID10)+(5\*PID15), SPID30=(5\*PID5)+(5\*PID10)+(5\*PID15)+(15\*PID30), SPID45=(5\*PID5)+(5\*PID10)+(5\*PID15)+(15\*PID30)+(15\*PID45), SPID60=(5\*PID5)+(5\*PID10)+(5\*PID15)+(15\*PID30) +(15\*PID45) +(15\*PID60). The minimum and maximum SPID scores were -500 to 500, -1000 to 1000, -1500 to 1500, -3000 to 3000, -4500 to 4500, and -6000 to 6000, respectively. A higher score indicates less pain.
Time frame: Baseline (time 0, beginning of each pain episode) through 60 minutes after dosing for each pain episode
Total Pain Relief (TOTPAR) at 5, 10, 15, 30, 45, and 60 Minutes After Dosing
Pain relief (PAR) was assessed by the participant on a 5-point scale (1=No relief, 2=A little relief, 3=Moderate relief, 4=A lot of relief, 5=Complete relief) at 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 and 60 minutes after each dose of study medication during each breakthrough pain episode. TOTPAR was calculated as the time-weighted sum of the PAR scores at each time point using the following formulas: TOTPAR5=(5\*PAR5), TOTPAR10=(5\*PAR5)+(5\*PAR10), TOTPAR15=(5\*PAR5)+(5\*PAR10)+(5\*PAR15), TOTPAR30=(5\*PAR5)+(5\*PAR10)+(5\*PAR15)+(15\*PAR30), TOTPAR45=(5\*PAR5)+(5\*PAR10)+(5\*PAR15)+(15\*PAR30)+(15\*PAR45), TOTPAR60=(5\*PAR5)+(5\*PAR10)+(5\*PAR15)+(15\*PAR30) +(15\*PAR45) +(15\*PAR60). The minimum and maximum TOTPAR5, TOTPAR10, TOTPAR15, TOTPAR30, TOTPAR45, and TOTPAR60 scores were 5 to 25, 10 to 50, 15 to 75, 30 to 150, 45 to 225, and 60 to 300, respectively. A higher score indicates more pain relief.
Time frame: 5 through 60 minutes after dosing for each pain episode
Global Evaluation of the Study Medication at 30 and 60 Minutes After Dosing
Global evaluation of the study medication was assessed by the participant on a 5-point scale (1=Poor, 2=Fair, 3=Good, 4=Very good, 5=Excellent) at 30 and 60 minutes after each dose of study medication during each breakthrough pain episode. A higher score indicates a better evaluation.
Time frame: 30 through 60 minutes after dosing for each pain episode
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