Fentanyl for Breakthrough Pain in the Emergency Department

Stopped early · Phase 4 · Has a placebo group

Conditions studied: Pain

In brief

The goal of this clinical research study is to learn if fentanyl nasal spray can help decrease pain related to cancer when used with other drugs for pain. Researchers also want to know if this drug can help decrease the length of your stay in the Emergency Department. In this study, fentanyl nasal spray will be compared to a placebo nasal spray. A placebo is not a drug. It looks like the study drug but it is not designed to treat any disease or illness. It is designed in this study to be compared with the study spray to learn if the study spray has any real effect. You will also be given intravenous (IV) pain drugs. You will be given these drugs even if you decide not to take part in this study.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT01812759

Run by

M.D. Anderson Cancer Center

People needed

3

Starts

2014-01-10

Expected to finish

2014-10-22

Last updated by the study team

2021-06-29

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 75. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Cancer patients presenting to the Emergency Department for treatment of acute breakthrough pain who are already receiving and who are tolerant to opioid therapy for their underlying persistent cancer pain. (Patients considered opioid tolerant are those who are taking at least: 60 mg of oral morphine/day, 25 mcg of transdermal fentanyl/hour, 30 mg oral oxycodone/day, 8 mg oral hydromorphone/day, 25 mg oral oxymorphone/day, or an equianalgesic dose of another opioid for a week or longer.)
• Patients must have severe pain on an 11-point Numeric Rating Scale (NRS 7-10)
• Breakthrough cancer pain must be of sufficient severity to warrant the use of intravenous opioids in the judgment of the treating emergency physician
• Age between 18 and 75 years
• Able to understand the description of the study and give informed consent
• Patients must be willing to and capable of providing frequent pain assessments for up to 8 hours
• English-speaking

You may not qualify if…

• Patients will not be approached while they are in acute distress and those exhibiting symptoms (such as dyspnea, uncontrolled nausea/vomiting or vertigo) to such an extent that impairs their ability to understand and evaluate informed consent
• Patients participating in other clinical trials for pain
• Patients who are not already tolerant to opioids
• Patients, who in the judgment of the treating clinician, are suspected to have hepatic or renal failure
• Patients who are pregnant or lactating
• Patients with a known allergy or significant reaction to fentanyl, the components of the IN formulation, hydromorphone, or other opioids
• Patients already on high morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDDs) (>500 mg/day).

Where it is running

• University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center — Houston, Texas, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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