A Two-Arm Study Comparing the Analgesic Efficacy and Safety of Tramadol HCl Once-a-Day Versus Placebo for the Treatment of Pain Due to Osteoarthritis

The purpose of this study is to compare the analgesic efficacy, safety and clinical benefit of Tramadol OAD tablets versus Placebo.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Pain; Osteoarthritis
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: Placebo; Drug: Tramadol Once a day

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 1028
• Phase: Phase 3

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 40 years to 80 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria for Open-Label phase:

1. Males or females
2. Must be between the ages of 40-80

3. Must meet the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Clinical Classification Criteria for Osteoarthritis of the Knee:

   • Current knee pain
   • Less than 30 minutes of morning stiffness with or without crepitus on active motion
   • Confirmation either by arthroscopy or radiologist's report (X-rays showing osteophytes, joint space narrowing or subchondral bone sclerosis {eburnation}) within five years prior to entry into the study
4. Must have a history of exposure to treatment (for pain due to osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee) with Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), COX II inhibitors or tramadol.
5. Must be taking one of the above medications on a regular basis in the 30 days prior to Visit 2 (S0).

6. Must meet the following criteria for severity of pain at Visit 2 (Day S0):

   • Have a score of ≥ 4 on the 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (PI-NRS; range: 0-10)
   • Have a total increase of ≥ 2 points on the 11-point Numerical Rating Scale (range: 0-10) compared to the rating at Visit 1 (Day SX)
7. Must have a erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) < 40 mm/hr
8. Must have oral and written language comprehension at a level sufficient to comply with the protocol and complete study-related materials
9. Must have signed and dated an approved written Informed Consent form in French, Spanish, English or Romanian, which has also been signed and dated by the Investigator (unless otherwise required by the ethics committee), prior to study participation

Exclusion Criteria for Open-Label phase:

1. Has known rheumatoid arthritis or any other rheumatic disease
2. Has secondary arthritis i.e. any of the following: septic arthritis; inflammatory joint disease; gout; pseudogout; Paget's disease; target joint fracture; acromegaly; fibromyalgia; Wilson's disease; Ochronosis; Haemochromatosis; Osteochondromatosis; heritable arthritic disorders; or collagen gene mutations
3. Has a history of bursitis of the knee (target knee)
4. Has a history of pain in the ipsilateral hip (target knee)
5. Has had a meniscal tear in the target knee within the last 12 months
6. Has had cartilage reconstruction procedure in the target knee
7. Has had a therapeutic arthroscopy procedure in the target knee within the last 12 months
8. Has a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 37
9. Has had a major illness, requiring hospitalisation during the 3 months before commencement of the screening period
10. Is unwilling to stop taking pain medication other than the study medication (for arthritis or other types of pain) or is unwilling to stop taking other medications for the treatment of OA
11. Has previously failed treatment with tramadol or discontinued treatment with tramadol due to adverse events
12. Has been taking other opioids (e.g. codeine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, etc.) for treatment of OA or other chronic conditions
13. Has received Corticosteroid Injections in the target knee within the last 3 months or Viscous injections in the target knee within the last 6 months
14. Has had treatment within the last 3 weeks with any of the following medications: monoamine oxidase inhibitors; tricyclic antidepressants and other tricyclic compounds (e.g. cyclobenzaprine, promethazine); neuroleptics; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors; serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or any other drug that reduces seizure threshold
15. Has had treatment with another investigational agent within the last 30 days
16. Has a history of seizure disorder other than Infantile Febrile Seizures
17. Has a previous or current opioid dependency
18. Has a bowel disease causing malabsorption
19. Is pregnant, lactating or of childbearing potential and is unwilling to utilise a medically approved method of contraception during participation in this clinical trial
20. Has significant liver disease, defined as active hepatitis or elevated liver enzymes >3 times the upper boundary of the normal range
21. Has significant renal disease (defined as creatinine clearance <30 mL/min
22. Has a history of current or past substance abuse or dependence, other than nicotine
23. Has a known and documented allergy to tramadol or any structurally similar drugs (e.g. opiates)
24. Has a known and documented allergy to acetaminophen or any structurally similar drugs
25. Has any other condition that, in the opinion of the Investigators, would adversely affect the patient's ability to complete the study or its measures.

Inclusion criteria for the double-blinded phase:

• Patients must continue to meet the open-label eligibility criteria and
• Must have a score of ≥ 4 on the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) with a total increase of ≥ 2 points on the NRS compared to Visit 3(Day R14) and
• Must not have taken any of the prohibited medications during the Open-label Phase.

Exclusion criteria for the double-blinded phase:

• Patient Request
• Adverse Events that contraindicate further administration of the study medication
• Any other situation where in the opinion of the Investigator continued participation in the study would not be in the patient's best interest.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Placebo Comparator: 2 Placebo	Drug: Placebo
Experimental: 1 Tramadol Once A Day	Drug: Tramadol Once a day

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Intensity Score as Measured by the 11-point Pain Intensity-Numerical Rating Scale Score at the End of the Study (Week 12 or Time of Discontinuation)	The Pain Intensity Score is an 11-point pain intensity numerical rating scale ranging from 0: no pain to 10: worst possible pain. The mean score at the end of the study (week 12 or time of discontinuation) was calculated.	12 weeks

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pain Intensity Score (11-point PINRS) After 6 Weeks of Maintenance Treatment	The Pain Intensity Score is an 11-point pain intensity numerical rating scale ranging from 0: no pain to 10: worst possible pain	6 weeks
Pain Intensity Score Stratified by Dose, at the End of the Study (Week 12 or Time of Discontinuation)	Pain Intensity Score (an 11-point pain intensity numerical rating scale ranging from 0: no pain to 10: worst possible pain) was stratified by final dose level, at week 12 or time of discontinuation. The final optimum dose level based upon efficacy and tolerability was kept for the entire study. The mean score was calculated.	12 weeks
WOMAC Pain Subscale Score at the End of the Study (Week 12 or Time of Discontinuation)	Mean WOMAC Pain Subscale score at week 12. The WOMAC scale is a 24-item questionnaire divided in 3 subscales, using a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from no difficulty to extreme difficulty (0-none; 1-slight; 2-moderate; 3-severe; 4-extreme). The WOMAC pain subscale results from the sum of 5 pain questions. The maximum total score is 20.	12 weeks
WOMAC Physical Function Subscale Score at the End of the Study (Week 12 or Time of Discontinuation)	Mean WOMAC Physical Function Subscale score at week 12. The WOMAC scale is a 24-item questionnaire divided in 3 subscales, using a 5-point Likert-scale ranging from no difficulty to extreme difficulty (0-none; 1-slight; 2-moderate; 3-severe; 4-extreme). The WOMAC Physical Function subscale results from the sum of 17 physical function questions and the maximum possible score is 68.	12 weeks
Patient Global Impression of Change at the End of the Study (Week 12 or Time of Discontinuation)	This assessment of overall status integrates the effect of the treatment on pain, side effects, and the patient's expectation of pain relief. It is made using a 7-point categorical scale (1 = very much improved; 2 = much improved; 3 = minimally improved; 4 = no change; 5 = minimally worse; 6 = much worse; 7 = very much worse)	12 weeks
Physician Global Impression of Change at the End of the Study (Week 12 or Time of Discontinuation)	This assessment of overall impression of study drug is made using a 7-point categorical scale (1 = very much improved; 2 = much improved; 3 = minimally improved; 4 = no change; 5 = minimally worse; 6 = much worse; 7 = very much worse)	week 12
Time to Response	Response was defined as a decrease of ≥1 point in an 11-point PINRS (11-point pain intensity numerical rating scale ranging from 0: no pain to 10: worst possible pain) from baseline to the last visit. The time to response was estimated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and a 95% CI for the median time was calculated.	12 weeks
Discontinuation Due to Lack of Efficacy	The number of patients who discontinued due to lack of efficacy was reported.	12 weeks
Discontinuation Due to Adverse Events	The number of patients who discontinued due to adverse events (AEs). An AE is defined as any untoward medical event that occurs during the course of a clinical investigation in which a patient is administered a pharmaceutical or other therapeutic product. Its occurrence does not necessarily imply a causal relationship with the treatment.	12 weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Labopharm Inc.

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Burch F, Fishman R, Messina N, Corser B, Radulescu F, Sarbu A, Craciun-Nicodin MM, Chiriac R, Beaulieu A, Rodrigues J, Beignot-Devalmont P, Duplan A, Robertson S, Fortier L, Bouchard S. A comparison of the analgesic efficacy of Tramadol Contramid OAD versus placebo in patients with pain due to osteoarthritis. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2007 Sep;34(3):328-38. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2006.11.017. Epub 2007 Jun 21.

Helpful Links

• Approved labelling

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: October 1, 2004
• Primary Completion (Actual): January 1, 2006
• Study Completion (Actual): January 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 29, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 30, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): February 2, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): April 30, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 25, 2012
• Last Verified: April 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Joint Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Rheumatic Diseases; Arthritis; Osteoarthritis; Physiological Effects of Drugs; Central Nervous System Depressants; Peripheral Nervous System Agents; Analgesics; Sensory System Agents; Analgesics, Opioid; Narcotics; Tramadol
• Other Study ID Numbers: MDT3-005; NCT00833794 (Registry Identifier: ClinicalTrials.gov)