Weight-Adjusted Diclofenac Potassium Medicated Lollipop for Post-Adenotonsillectomy Pain in Children (DICLOPOP)

June 14, 2026 updated by: Joseph Alejandro Veraza Almeida, Hospital Universitario de Caracas

Development and Preliminary Clinical Evaluation of a Weight-Adjusted Diclofenac Potassium Medicated Lollipop for Post-Adenotonsillectomy Pain Management in Paediatric Patients

**Brief Summary**

This study aimed to develop and conduct a preliminary clinical evaluation of a novel weight-adjusted gelatin-based diclofenac potassium medicated lollipop for the management of postoperative pain following adenotonsillectomy in children. The formulation was designed to improve analgesic adherence by providing a palatable and child-friendly dosage form suitable for oral transmucosal administration. Fifty paediatric patients aged 4 to 12 years undergoing elective adenotonsillectomy received one of three weight-adjusted diclofenac potassium lollipop doses (15 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg) every 8 hours during the first 24 postoperative hours. The study assessed postoperative pain intensity, product acceptability, rescue analgesic use, and safety. In parallel, the formulation underwent pharmaceutical characterization, including physicochemical and microbiological quality evaluation.

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

This prospective single-arm pilot study evaluated a newly developed gelatin-based diclofenac potassium medicated lollipop intended for postoperative pain management after paediatric adenotonsillectomy. The pharmaceutical formulation was optimized through iterative development and characterized by physicochemical testing, content uniformity analysis, and microbiological quality assessment according to pharmacopeial standards.

Children aged 4 to 12 years undergoing elective adenotonsillectomy received weight-adjusted diclofenac potassium lollipops (15 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg) administered every 8 hours during the first 24 postoperative hours. Pain intensity was assessed before and after each dose using age-appropriate validated pain scales. Secondary evaluations included product acceptability, requirement for rescue analgesia, and occurrence of adverse events.

The study was designed as an exploratory pilot investigation to assess the feasibility, pharmaceutical performance, preliminary clinical effectiveness, and safety of this novel paediatric drug-delivery platform, providing the basis for future randomized controlled trials and pharmacokinetic evaluation.

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.
50

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

  • Venezuela
    • Miranda
      • Caracas, Miranda, Venezuela, 1040
        • Hospital Universitario de Caracas

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

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 4 to 12 years.
  • Scheduled for elective adenotonsillectomy under general anaesthesia.
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I or II.
  • Ability to tolerate oral administration of the medicated lollipop after surgery.
  • Written informed consent obtained from a parent or legal guardian.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known hypersensitivity or contraindication to diclofenac or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  • History of asthma precipitated by NSAIDs.
  • Active gastrointestinal ulcer disease or gastrointestinal bleeding.
  • Significant hepatic, renal, cardiovascular, or coagulation disorders.
  • Severe developmental delay or neurological conditions preventing reliable pain assessment.
  • Requirement for postoperative intensive care admission.
  • Refusal of participation by the patient or parent/legal guardian.

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: Diclofenac Potassium Medicated Lollipop
Participants received a weight-adjusted diclofenac potassium medicated lollipop (15 mg, 20 mg, or 30 mg according to body weight) every 8 hours during the first 24 postoperative hours following adenotonsillectomy for postoperative pain management.
Drug: Diclofenac Potassium Medicated Lollipop
A weight-adjusted gelatin-based diclofenac potassium medicated lollipop formulated for paediatric postoperative analgesia. Three dosage strengths (15 mg, 20 mg, and 30 mg) were administered according to body weight every 8 hours during the first 24 postoperative hours following adenotonsillectomy.
Other Names:
  • DICLOPOP

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
Postoperative Pain Intensity
Time Frame: 24 hours post operative
Postoperative pain intensity assessed using a 10-point Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain. Higher scores indicate greater postoperative pain intensity following administration of weight-adjusted diclofenac potassium medicated lollipops
24 hours post operative

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.
Hospital Universitario de Caracas

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 (Actual)

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.
May 1, 2025

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.
May 31, 2025

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.
May 31, 2025

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).
June 9, 2026

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.
June 9, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

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.
June 12, 2026

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.
June 16, 2026

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.
June 14, 2026

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
  • DPML-2025-001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be publicly shared because the study involves paediatric participants and contains potentially identifiable clinical information. Data may be made available upon reasonable request to the corresponding author, subject to institutional approval and applicable ethical and privacy regulations.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

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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