Localized Neuropathic Pain: Topical Treatment Versus Systemic Treatment (PELICAN)
Neuropathic Pain
About this trial
This is an interventional treatment trial for Neuropathic Pain
Eligibility Criteria
Patients eligible for inclusion in this study must fulfil all of the following criteria:
- Subjects should be capable of giving their informed consent with sufficient knowledge of the Dutch, French or German language;
- Males and females, 18 years and older;
- Be assessed as suffering from moderate to severe neuropathic pain across the screening process with pain intensity (numeric rating scale - NRS) ≥ 4/10,
- At the time of screening pain symptoms have to be present for at least one (1) month, with a maximum of 24 months;
- Sensory disturbances present in the skin area of maximal pain;
- At the time of screening pain is clearly related to the presence of a localized neuropathic pain syndrome.
- Male or female patients of child producing potential* must agree to use contraception or take measures to avoid pregnancy during the study and until after the final treatment;
- Women can only be included after negative pregnancy test;
Exclusion Criteria:
- Age < 18;
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women;
- Infection in the painful skin region;
- Poorly healed or non-healed wound or scar in the painful skin region as well as presence of cutaneous abnormalities (non-intact skin barrier) within the painful skin region related to dermatological conditions;
- Known and/or strong suspicion of allergy to the study medication, known skin disorder (resulting in disruption of the normal skin barrier);
- Previous treatment with any of the three medications included in the study protocol for the same painful area within the last 12 months at the time of screening;
- Risk of heart failure and/or renal failure.
Sites / Locations
- University hospital Antwerp
- AZ Monica (campus Antwerpen)
- AZ Klina
- AZ Sint Jan Brugge
- UVC Brugmann
- Grand Hôpital de Charleroi
- Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg (ZOL
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent (UZG)
- UZ Brussel
- Universitair Ziekenhuis Leuven (UZL)
- Hopital Universitaire Sart Tilman de Liège (ULg) (CHU)
- AZ Delta
- AZ Turnhout
Arms of the Study
Arm 1
Arm 2
Arm 3
Experimental
Experimental
Active Comparator
Lidocaine patch 5%
Capsaicin 8% patch
Pregabaline
Lidocaine 5% medicated plasters will be applied daily, during 12 consecutive hours.
Capsaicin 8% patches need to applied in a hospital setting during 1 hour. Re-application of these capsaicin patches will be performed upon re-occurrence of painful symptoms (mostly after 12 weeks - so not after a fixed time interval). Application of capsaicin patches will be carried out in a hospital setting (+/- 3 hours procedure).
Oral treatment with pregabalin (75mg capsules) will be used at optimized doses to best match clinical practice in Europe. In European clinical practice, up-titration of the dose is often carried out over a longer time-period. This study thus includes up-titration schedule for pregabalin over a period of 4 weeks. If patients develop side-effects during the intake/uptitration of pregabalin this treatment can be stopped and switched to gabapentin (300mg capsules). Gabapentin will always be the back-up treatment for failed systematic treatment with pregabalin. Dose of gabapentin will be uptitrated to maximum 1200mg per day.