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Fentanyl Buccal Tablet

In Breakthrough Pain in Opioid-Tolerant Patients with Cancer

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Abstract

  • ▴ The fentanyl buccal tablet (FBT) is a new formulation of fentanyl that uses an effervescent drug delivery system to enhance penetration across the buccal mucosa for the treatment of breakthrough pain in opioid-tolerant patients with cancer.

  • ▴ Fentanyl is rapidly absorbed from FBT across the buccal mucosa and into the bloodstream.

  • ▴ Fentanyl is more rapidly absorbed and bioavailability is higher from FBT than from the oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate formulation.

  • ▴ In a well designed phase III trial in opioid-tolerant patients with cancer, a single dose of FBT 100–800μg provided clinically significant improvements in pain intensity from 15 to 60 minutes after the dose.

  • ▴ Single FBT doses of 100–800μg were generally well tolerated; the majority of adverse events were mild to moderate in nature and typical of those associated with opioids.

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Notes

  1. The use of trade names is for product identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement.

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Correspondence to Stephanie K. A. Blick.

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Blick, S.K.A., Wagstaff, A.J. Fentanyl Buccal Tablet. Drugs 66, 2387–2393 (2006). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-200666180-00013

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