A Randomized, Double-Blind, Controlled Trial of Hydromorphone (Immediate and Sustained- Release) vs Morphine (Immediate and Sustained-release) in Cancer Pain

This was a phase-3, multicenter, multinational, randomized (patients are assigned different treatments based on chance), active-controlled, double-blind, multiple-ascending-dose, parallel-group study in adult patients with cancer pain who receive and/or require strong oral or transdermal opioid analgesics (60-540 mg of oral morphine equivalents daily). This study consisted of 2 phases: an initial immediate release (IR) phase and a subsequent slow release (SR) phase. Eligible patients were randomized 1:1 to receive either OROS hydromorphone HCl or morphine sulfate (immediate release formulation in the immediate release phase, slow release formulation in the slow release phase). In the immediate release phase (2-9 days), patients were started on the appropriate initial dose of immediate release medication every 4 hours (q4h), (6 doses/day) using a 5:1 conversion ratio (morphine equivalents:hydromorphone dosage). If the patient had greater than 3 breakthrough-pain episodes requiring additional pain medication in 24 hours, the study medication dosage was increased, at most once a day. When the patient had achieved dose-stable pain control (2 days with 3 or less than 3 breakthrough-pain episodes per day), the patient was permitted to continue into the slow release phase. The patient was given an equivalent dosage of a slow release formulation of the same drug (OROS® hydromorphone HCL each day or morphine sulfate slow release two times per day), administered using a double-dummy technique. Dosage increases were permitted every 2 days if the patient had more than 3 breakthrough-pain episodes in 24 hours. To complete the slow release phase, patients had to achieve dose-stable pain control for at least 2 days.Safety assessments of physical examination, labs and adverse event reporting were done. OROS hydromorphone HCL slow release 8, 16, 32, and 64mg tablets; Morphine sulfate immediate release10, 20, 50 mg capsules;Morphine sulfate slow release 5, 30, 60, 90, 120, 160, and 200mg capsules;hydromorphone immediate release 2, 4, 8 mg;The immediate release medications orally every 4 hours;The OROS hydromorphone slow release formulation orally every 24 hours and morphine slow release orally twice daily.