Tapentadol Prolonged Release in Patients with Chronic low back Pain: Real-World Data from the German Pain eRegistry

Abstract

<b>Aim:</b> Comparison of tapentadol prolonged release (PR) with other oral WHO-III PR opioid analgesics (morphine, oxycodone ± naloxone, hydromorphone) in routine medical care of chronic low back pain. <b>Patients & methods:</b> Noninterventional, retrospective 12-week study using anonymized clinical practice data from the German Pain eRegistry. Six effectiveness, tolerability, and safety criteria were aggregated in a primary composite end point (treatment responder). Propensity scoring matched 2331 datasets per treatment cohort. <b>Results:</b> All six single criteria showed significantly better outcomes for tapentadol PR (all parameters p < 0.001). There were significantly more treatment responders under tapentadol PR (65.7 vs 14.2%; p < 0.001). <b>Conclusion:</b> Tapentadol PR showed significantly better effectiveness and tolerability in severe chronic low back pain unsuccessfully treated with WHO-I/II analgesics compared with the other oral WHO-III PR opioids investigated.