Bone Fractures in Patients Using Tapentadol or Oxycodone: An Exploratory US Claims Database Study

Pain Management, vol. 11, pp. 39–47

Abstract

Aim: To explore fracture outcomes with tapentadol or oxycodone, two opioids with differing mechanisms of action. Materials & methods: Retrospective cohort pilot study, using MarketScan® Commercial and Medicare Supplemental claims databases, on patients with postoperative pain, back pain, or osteoarthritis and ≥1 claim for tapentadol (n = 16,457), oxycodone (n = 1,356,920), or both (n = 15,893) between June 2009 and December 2015. Results: During 266,826 and 9,007,889 days of tapentadol and oxycodone treatment, patients evidenced 1080 and 72,275 fractures, respectively. Fracture rates per treatment-year were 1.512 for tapentadol and 3.013 for oxycodone. Conclusion: Examination of administrative claims has inherent limitations, but this exploratory analysis indicates a lower fracture rate with tapentadol than oxycodone in the analyzed dataset, which needs confirmation by further clinical trials.

Authors 7

1. Bart J. Morlion corresponding

   KU Leuven

   Affiliation as printed

   Leuven Centre for Algology & Pain Management, Anaesthesiology & Algology, Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University Hospitals Leuven, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

2. César Margarit

   Fundación para el Fomento de la Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de la Comunitat Valenciana · Hospital General Universitario de Alicante Doctor Balmis · Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria y Biomédica de Alicante (ISABIAL)

   Affiliation as printed

   Neuropharmacology on Pain (NED), Alicante Institute for Health & Biomedical Research (ISABIAL-FISABIO Foundation), Alicante, Spain

   Pain Unit, Health Department of Alicante-General Hospital, Alicante, Spain

   Pain Unit, Health Department of Alicante-General Hospital, Alicante, SpainNeuropharmacology on Pain (NED), Alicante Institute for Health & Biomedical Research (ISABIAL-FISABIO Foundation), Alicante, Spain

3. Imane Wild Aachen Global Medical Affairs

   Grünenthal Group (Germany)

   Affiliation as printed

   Global Medical Affairs, Grünenthal GmbH, Aachen, Germany

4. Ravi Karra Aachen Global Medical Affairs

   Grünenthal Group (Germany)

   Affiliation as printed

   Global Medical Affairs, Grünenthal GmbH, Aachen, Germany

5. Hiltrud Liedgens Aachen Health Economics & Outcomes Research

   Grünenthal Group (Germany)

   Affiliation as printed

   Health Economics & Outcomes Research, Grünenthal GmbH, Aachen, Germany

6. Melanie Sohns Aachen Grünenthal Innovation

   Grünenthal Group (Germany)

   Affiliation as printed

   Grünenthal Innovation, Drug Development, Data Sciences, Grünenthal GmbH, Aachen, Germany

7. Gabriele Finco

   University of Cagliari · Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria Cagliari

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Medical Sciences & Public Health, University of Cagliari, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy