In a controlled, double-blind clinical trial the
analgesic efficacy and safety of
flupirtine 100 mg capsules were compared with
pentazocine capsules 50 mg. Fifty two patients with "severe" to "very severe"
cancer pain were treated. The
duration of therapy was up to one week with a daily dose of up to 6 capsules of each
drug. The
analgesic efficacy was assessed by a verbal 4-point grading scale. The treatment groups revealed no differences in baseline
pain and the dosage was similar in each. In this small series of patients
flupirtine produced numerically more "good" or "very good" results than
pentazocine (68% and 50% respectively) although these differences were not statistically significant (P greater than 0.3). A similar number of adverse reactions occurred in each group but patients receiving
pentazocine seemed to be more likely to develop reactions affecting the central nervous system, an important point in the
therapy of ill, but often ambulant patients.
Flupirtine fulfilled the requirements of both patients and doctors for effective
cancer pain relief e.g. maintenance of the quality of life by complete or nearly complete
pain remission in association with lack of abuse potential, oral
dosage form and lack of disturbance of vital functions.