Efficacy and safety of pregabalin for chronic neuropathic pain: A meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

@#To assess the efficacy and safety of pregabalin during short-term treatment in adults with neuropathic pain. We searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Clinical Trials databases. Twelve eligible articles were finally selected. Efficacy outcomes included change in Daily Pain Rating Scale score (DPRS; 0 = ‘no pain’ to 10 = ‘worst possible pain’) and sleep interference score (0 = ‘pain does not interfere with sleep’ to 10 = ‘completely interferes’). Safety was based on adverse events, serious adverse events (SAEs) and the incidence of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs) .The authors used the Cochrane Collaboration’s Risk of Bias Tool to assess the risk of bias in included trials. Review Manager 5.3 was used for all statistical analyses. Data from 12 articles including 3,169 patients (pregabalin, n = 1,677; placebo, n =1,492) were analyzed. Mean changes in the daily pain rating scale score [MD=-0.65, 95%CI(-0.88,-0.41), P<0.001] and daily sleep interference score in patients that received pregabalin were compared to those that received placebo [MD=-0.81, 95%CI(-1.16,-0.46), P<0.001]. The incidence of any TEAE was significantly increased in patients that received pregabalin [OR=1.70, 95%CI (1.44,2.01), P<0.001]. Serious adverse events (SAEs) rate in the pregabalin group was higher than the placebo group [OR=2.09, 95%CI (1.49,2.93), P<0.001], while there was no significant difference in the incidence rate of discontinuation [OR=1.29, 95%CI (0.79,2.11), P = 0.31]. Comparative results revealed pregabalin (150-600 mg/day) significantly reduced the symptoms of neuropathic pain in adults and its safety was acceptable