A randomized, double-blind, controlled study of NGX-4010, a capsaicin 8% dermal patch, for the treatment of painful hiv-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy

Introduction: Effective treatment of HIV-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy remains a significant unmet therapeutic need. Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, controlled study, patients with pain due to HIV-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy received a single 30-minute or 60-minute application of NGX- 4010-a capsaicin 8% patch (n = 332)-or a low-dose capsaicin (0.04%) control patch (n = 162). The primary endpoint was the mean percent change from baseline in Numeric Pain Rating Scale score to weeks 2-12. Secondary endpoints included patient global impression of change at week 12. Results: Pain reduction was not significantly different between the total NGX-4010 group (?29.5%) and the total control group (?24.5%; P = 0.097). Greater pain reduction in the 60-minute (?30.0%) versus the 30-minute control group (?19.1%) prevented intended pooling of the control groups to test individual NGX-4010 treatment groups. No significant pain reduction was observed for the 30-minute NGX-4010 group compared with 30-minute control (?26.2% vs.?19.1%, respectively, P = 0.103). Pain reductions in the 60-minute NGX-4010 and control groups were comparable (?32.8% vs. ?30.0%, respectively; P = 0.488). Posthoc nonparametric testing demonstrated significant differences favoring the total (P = 0.044) and 30-minute NGX-4010 groups (P = 0.035). Significantly, more patients in the total and 30-minute NGX-4010 group felt improved on the patient global impression of change versus control (67% vs. 55%, P = 0.011 and 65% vs. 45%, P = 0.006, respectively). Mild to moderate transient application site pain and erythema were the most common adverse events. Conclusions: Although the primary endpoint analyses were not significant, trends toward pain improvement were observed after a single 30-minute NGX-4010 treatment. Copyright © 2012 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.