Cymbalta reduces chronic lower back pain

Data from a new study suggest that US drug major Eli Lilly's Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) 60mg-120mg once daily significantly reduced chronic low back pain, as measured by the Brief Pain Inventory 24-hour average pain score, compared with placebo. Results from the double-blind, 13-week, placebo-controlled study of 236 patients were presented at the annual congress of the European Federation of Neurological Societies, held in Madrid, Spain.

Patients treated with the approved antidepressant reported significantly greater reduction in pain scores than placebo-treated subjects. 31% of duloxetine-treated patients experienced a 50% reduction in pain, compared with 19% of placebo-treated group, as measured by an 11-point Likert pain scale. Physicians consider a pain reduction of at least 30% as clinically significant, Lilly noted.

Treatment with duloxetine was also associated with improved outcomes as measured by the Patient Global Impressions of Improvement, and physical functioning as measured by the Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire.