Conversion to a 7-day regimen of transdermal buprenorphine (Butrans Transdermal System, Purdue Pharma) from a stable regimen of hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin, Abbott) can be successful in patients with osteoarthritic pain of the hip or knee, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in National Harbor, Md.
Conversion to a 7-day regimen of transdermal buprenorphine (Butrans Transdermal System, Purdue Pharma) from a stable regimen of hydrocodone/acetaminophen (Vicodin, Abbott) can be successful in patients with osteoarthritic (OA) pain of the hip or knee, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, in National Harbor, Md.
According to this study, 84.3% of patients with OA pain of the knee or hip were successfully converted from a stable hydrocodone/acetaminophen regimen to a 7-day buprenorphine regimen. Patients who received treatment with buprenorphine maintained analgesia, function, and sleep quality. Patients rated buprenorphine positively. Conversion to a low initial dose of buprenorphine may improve overall tolerability.
For this randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group study, 198 adult patients with OA receiving a stable dosage of hydrocodone/acetaminophen (15 mg/d to 30 mg/d) were switched to the nearest equivalent dosage of open-label hydrocodone/acetaminophen for 7 days. Patients were then stratified based on their dosage and randomly assigned to treatment with titratable transdermal buprenorphine (10 µg/h to 20 µg/h) or fixed-dose transdermal buprenorphine (20 µg/h). The primary efficacy variable was completion of the 14-day, double-blind phase.
In all, 167 patients completed the 14-day, double-blind phase, and 84.3% were successfully converted to the transdermal regimen. The average proportion of days with successful analgesia was 74%. Overall, 85% patients preferred transdermal buprenorphine to the oral hydrocodone/acetaminophen regimen.
Patients randomly assigned to the lower dose (10 µg) of buprenorphine experienced slightly better tolerability compared with patients who received the higher dose (20 µg). The overall incidence of adverse events was lower in patients treated with titratable buprenorphine (10 µg to 20 µg) than that in the fixed-dose (20 µg) treatment group (52% vs 62%, respectively).
Coalition promotes important acetaminophen dosing reminders
November 18th 2014It may come as a surprise that each year Americans catch approximately 1 billion colds, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 20% get the flu. This cold and flu season, 7 in 10 patients will reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) medicine to treat their coughs, stuffy noses, and sniffles. It’s an important time of the year to remind patients to double check their medicine labels so they don’t double up on medicines containing acetaminophen.
Support consumer access to specialty medications through value-based insurance design
June 30th 2014The driving force behind consumer cost-sharing provisions for specialty medications is the acquisition cost and not clinical value. This appears to be true for almost all public and private health plans, says a new report from researchers at the University of Michigan Center for Value-Based Insurance Design (V-BID Center) and the National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC).
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13th 2013Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
Medical innovation improves outcomes
June 12th 2013I have been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer of the pancreas, a disease that’s long been considered not just incurable, but almost impossible to treat-a recalcitrant disease that some practitioners feel has given oncology a bad name. I was told my life would be measured in weeks.