Oral nalbuphine helps control moderate-to-severe pain after hemorrhoidectomy

Treatment with the oral form of nalbuphine, PHN131, appears to effectively control moderate-to-severe pain in patients who have undergone hemorrhoidectomy, according to a study.

In the study, eligible patients undergoing hemorrhoidectomy were randomly assigned to receive either PHN131 soft capsules containing nalbuphine hydrochloride 60 mg or placebo capsules. Intramuscular diclofenac was given as a rescue painkiller.

Researchers measured pain using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). They determined the area under the curve of mean VAS pain intensity scores.

Results showed that compared with the placebo group, the PHN131 group had significantly lower VAS scores 48 hours after the surgery (149.2 vs 179.6; p=0.0301). Furthermore, brief Pain Inventory Short Form scores indicated that pain exerted a significantly smaller impact on quality of life for patients who received PHN131 than for those who received placebo.

Time to the first use of diclofenac postoperatively was much longer in the PHN131 group, with the cumulative dosage used being only around half of that used in the placebo group (p<0.0001).

In terms of safety, drug-related adverse events (AEs) were mild to moderate and resolved by the end of treatment. None of the patients in the study experienced drug-related severe AEs.

The findings highlight the potential of PHN131 as another option for patients to manage their pain following hemorrhoidectomy.