An Efficacy and Safety Trial of Intranasal Ketorolac in Emergency Department Patients for the Treatment of Acute Pain (Sprix)

July 30, 2025 updated by: The Cleveland Clinic

A Prospective, Open-label, Nonrandomized Efficacy and Safety Trial of Intranasal Ketorolac in Emergency Department Patients for the Treatment of Acute Pain

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness, the safety, and the tolerability of intranasal ketorolac (Sprix) in relieving acute pain in adults ages 18-65 who come to the ED seeking care. Considering all ED visits, pain is the most common chief complaint. Giving intranasal ketorolac (Sprix) after stomach and dental surgeries has been shown to be safe and effective, but no studies have investigated the use of intranasal ketorolac (Sprix) for the treatment of acute pain in the ED.

Ketorolac (Sprix) has several advantages over other drugs commonly given for pain, including opioids. Ketorolac (Sprix) is non-addicting and has fewer side effects than opioids. The administration of ketorolac (Sprix) by other methods, such as IV, intramuscular shot, and oral pill form, has been shown to be safe and effective in treating acute pain.

This study is being done to find out if giving ketorolac (Sprix) as a single dose nasal spray will have the same benefit in decreasing patient's pain.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Adults between the ages of 18-65 were being seen in the emergency department of a single large tertiary care hospital with acute pain (moderate to severe 4-10 NRS scale). Those who met inclusion criteria were approached. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants. The study was approved by local Institutional Review Board (IRB). Demographics (age, gender, ethnicity) were recorded. Baseline pain scores on NRS were obtained prior to administration of the drug. Pain scores (NRS) after administration of the drug (intranasal ketorolac) were recorded. All adverse events/side effects were recorded. Data was obtained for the time the individual patient was in the emergency department being treated.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
37

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Ohio
      • Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44195
        • Cleveland Clinic

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Patient is being seen in the emergency department (ED) in acute pain from an acute illness or injury (such as a kidney stone or an acute musculoskeletal injury)
  2. Age ≥ 18 years and < 65 years
  3. Stable patient with stable vital signs, including not in shock (systolic BP >90), not in respiratory failure, and not a multiple trauma patient
  4. Mentally competent patient is able to understand the consent form
  5. Baseline pain score is moderate to severe (e.g. on NRS ≥ 4 on a 0 to 10 NRS or ≥ 40 on a 0 to 100 NRS)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Unstable patients
  2. Multiple trauma patients
  3. Patients with any allergies to ketorolac or any of the components in the nasal spray preparation
  4. Patients with active peptic ulcer disease
  5. Patients with a history of asthma, urticaria, or other allergic-type reactions after taking aspirin or other NSAIDS
  6. Patients about to undergo major surgery
  7. Patients with renal disease or at risk for renal failure due to volume depletion
  8. Pregnant or nursing mothers
  9. Patients with suspected or confirmed cerebrovascular bleeding, patients with hemorrhagic diathesis, and/or those at high-risk of bleeding
  10. Patient with a nasal abnormality or illness that could affect the absorption of intranasal medication (such as: nasal discharge, rhinitis, acute upper respiratory infection, acute epistaxis, nasal polyp, nasal tumor)
  11. Patient with any other contraindication to the use of Sprix, or in whom use of Sprix would not be consistent with the approved package insert
  12. History of chronic pain
  13. History of drug abuse
  14. History of significant neurologic disorder (could include diseases such as diabetic neuropathy, Parkinson's disease, etc)
  15. History of significant psychiatric disorder
  16. History of being on medications that may affect neurotransmitters (such as certain neurologic or psychiatric medications)
  17. No immediate post-op patients

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Intranasal ketorolac (Sprix)
FDA approved drug used in single arm study
Drug: intranasal ketorolac
15 mg
Other Names:
  • Sprix

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Efficacy of Intranasal Ketorolac on Numeric Pain Scale
Time Frame: up to 4 hours
Change in numeric rating scale after receiving intranasal ketorolac. 0 (no pain) - 10 (worst possible pain)
up to 4 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Adverse Event/Side Effects
Time Frame: Up to 4 hours
Safety assessed by reporting of all adverse events and side effects.
Up to 4 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
The Cleveland Clinic

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
American Regent, Inc.

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Sharon Mace, MD, The Cleveland Clinic

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
November 1, 2011

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
June 1, 2012

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
June 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 4, 2011

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 14, 2011

First Posted (Estimated)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 15, 2011

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 15, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 30, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • LUI-S4

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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