The Capsaicin 8% Patch for Neuropathic Pain in Clinical Practice: A Retrospective Analysis

OBJECTIVE To investigate the response of patients with peripheral neuropathic pain (PNP) to capsaicin 8% patch treatment in a clinical setting. DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING The Clinic for Pain Therapy and Palliative Medicine at the Medical Centre for the region of Aachen, Germany. SUBJECTS Patients diagnosed with PNP who attended the clinic for capsaicin 8% patch treatment between January 13, 2010 and February 7, 2011. OUTCOME MEASURES Pain intensity was assessed using the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) at baseline and following each capsaicin 8% patch treatment. Changes in prescribed concomitant neuropathic pain (NP) medications and response duration were recorded. RESULTS Overall, 68 patients with PNP conditions, including facial neuropathy (severe trigeminal neuralgia in V2), polyneuropathy, post-herpetic neuralgia, and mononeuropathies, received 96 treatments with the capsaicin 8% patch. The 53 patients with a follow-up of ≥8 weeks demonstrated a 48.4% mean reduction in NPRS score from baseline to Weeks 1-8. Among the 37 responders (those exhibiting ≥30% reduction in NPRS score from baseline to Weeks 1-8), the median time to re-treatment was 125 days. Following treatment, there was a significant (P < 0.001) 54% reduction in the mean number of prescribed concomitant NP medications taken by patients. CONCLUSIONS This analysis demonstrates that in clinical practice, the capsaicin 8% patch provides rapid and sustained pain reductions in patients with a variety of PNP conditions and a significant reduction in prescribed concomitant NP medications. The capsaicin 8% patch can be a valuable addition to the NP treatment armory for certain patients.