Effects of prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone on pain control, bowel function and quality of life: A prospective observational study.

Background and aim Strong opioids including oxycodone are amongst the most effective analgesics to combat moderate to severe pain of various aetiologies, but opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OIBD) represents a relevant problem. The rationale for development of a prolonged-release (PR) fixed combination of oxycodone and naloxone was to counteract OIBD. Due to its negligible oral bioavailability, the μ-opioid receptor antagonist naloxone is able to selectively displace opioids from local μ-receptors in the gastrointestinal tract without affecting central opioid binding sites.

Prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone in opioid-naïve patients - subgroup analysis of a prospective observational study.

Objective: Prolonged-release oxycodone/naloxone (OXN PR) showed improved gastrointestinal tolerability and equivalent analgesic efficacy compared to oxycodone alone in patients with non-cancer pain or cancer pain. This is the first dataset to demonstrate its effectiveness and safety compared to other strong opioids in opioid-naïve patients.

Methods: This is a subgroup analysis of a 4- to 6-week multicenter, observational study.