Table 2.
Studies comparing TD buprenorphine and/or TD fentanyl with other pain medications
| Reference | Study design | n | Patient characteristics | Treatment | Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prospective | |||||
| Ahmedzai et al36 | Multicentre, randomized | 202 | Palliative care, receiving stable doses of morphine | TD fentanyl vs morphine | Analgesic efficacy AEs QoL Patient preference |
| van Seventer et al29 | Multicentre, randomized, open-label | 131 | Moderate-to-severe cancer pain | TD fentanyl vs oral morphine | Analgesic efficacy AEs QoL |
| Apolone et al37 | Multicentre, open-label, observational | 330 | Cancer | TD buprenorphine, TD fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone, methadone | Drug utilization Analgesic efficacy |
| Kress et al38 | Multicentre, randomized, open-label, parallel | 220 | Requiring WHO/step-3 opioids | TD fentanyl (Matrifen® 3-day patch) vs standard opioid treatment (TD fentanyl [Durogesic® patch] or oral opioids) | Analgesic efficacy AEs |
| Mercadante et al39 | Multicentre, randomized | 108 | Advanced cancer; pain requiring strong opioids; previously received opioids for mild-to-moderate pain | TD fentanyl vs oral morphine or methadone | Analgesic efficacy AEs QoL Costs |
| Payne et al41 | Multicentre, cross-sectional | 504 | Advanced cancer | TD fentanyl vs oral morphine | Analgesic efficacy AEs QoL Patient satisfaction |
| Wong et al40 | Open, randomized | 40 | Terminal cancer pain | TD fentanyl vs oral morphine | Analgesic efficacy AEs Patient satisfaction |
| Retrospective | |||||
| Corli et al42 | Exploratory analysis of a prospective, observational study | 258 | WHO/step-3 opioid naive | TD buprenorphine, TD fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone | Analgesic efficacy AEs Rescue medication |
| Mercadante et al43 | Multicentre | 201 | Palliative care in a home setting | TD buprenorphine, TD fentanyl, morphine, oxycodone, hydromorphone | Analgesic efficacy AEs Switch rate Dosing Route of administration |
| Systematic reviews/meta-analyses | |||||
| Tassinari et al44 | Meta-analysis (four studies) | 425 | Cancer pain | TD buprenorphine or TD fentanyl vs morphine | AEs Patient preference |
| Hadley et al30 | Meta-analysis (four studies) | 258 | Outpatients with moderate-to-severe chronic cancer pain | TD fentanyl vs oral morphine | AEs |
Abbreviations: AEs, adverse effects; QoL, quality of life; TD, transdermal; WHO, World Health Organization.