The data are supported by PriCara, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen and its research affiliates, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Scientific Affairs and Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development as well as Grunenthal GmbH, according to the release.
The analysis evaluated the safety of tapentadol IR (either 50 or 100 mg dosed every four to six hours as needed) over a 90-day period among elderly patients (65 years or older) compared with an oxycodone IR active comparator group (either 10 or 15 mg dosed every four to six hours as needed), according to the release. One hundred fifty-eight patients were in the tapentadol group and 45 were in the oxycodone group.
Tapentadol IR was associated with lower incidences of specific gastrointestinal side effects versus oxycodone IR (46.8 percent vs. 68.9 percent, respectively) as well as lower incidences of study discontinuation due to gastrointestinal side effects versus oxycodone IR (15.8 percent vs. 24.4 percent, respectively), according to the release.
The most common adverse events in either group were nausea, constipation, vomiting, dizziness, somnolence and pruritius, according to the release.
Read the Ortho-McNeil release on tapentadol in osteoarthritis pain.
