Presented at the 2012 AAPM Annual Meeting « Back

Tapentadol Abuse: The First 18 Months

Richard Dart, MD, richard.dart@rmpdc.org¹, Edgar H. Adams, ScD², Becki Bucher-Bartelson, PhD¹, Gary M. Baker, PharmD³, Janet K. Pitner, PharmD MBA BCPS CGP⁴, Gary Vorsanger, MD PhD⁵, (1) Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, Denver, Colorado, (2) Covance, Princeton, New Jersey, (3) Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Reading, Massachusetts, (4) Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Charleston, South Carolina, (5) Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC, Raritan, New Jersey

Introduction/Statement of the Problem: Prescription opioid analgesics play an important role in the management of moderate to severe pain. An unintended consequence of these agents is the nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers. In 2008, nonmedical use of pain relievers among persons aged 12 years or older was second only to marijuana in the U.S.1 We describe the rates of abuse, misuse, and diversion of tapentadol immediate release [Nucynta®, CII], for the 18 months following launch in 2009. Materials and Methods: The RADARS® System2 measures rates of abuse, misuse, and diversion throughout the U.S. Data from the Drug Diversion, Survey of Key Informants (SKIP), Poison Center, and Opioid Treatment Programs were analyzed to compare rates for tapentadol with other opioid analgesics from June 2009 through December 2010, utilizing both per 100,000 population (POP) and per 1,000 Unique Recipients of Dispensed Drug (URDD) as denominators. Results: Based on data from the SKIP program from June 2009 to December 2010, nonmedical use rates for tapentadol fluctuated between 0 and 0.572 per 1,000 people who filled a prescription (URDD) and 0 and 0.015 per 100,000 population (POP), reflecting non-significant changes over time (p = 0.816 and p = 0.867, respectively). Data from Poison Centers, Outpatient Treatment Programs, and Drug Diversion programs also showed similar non-significant trends in population and exposure rates (all p-values >0.05) during the observation period. Conclusion: Since product launch, rates of abuse, misuse, and diversion of Nucynta have been low; however, continued monitoring of trends in the data are warranted. References: 1)Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2010). Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Volume I. Summary of National Findings. http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k9NSDUH/2k9ResultsP.pdf 2)RADARS System. http://radars.org/

Funding: N/A