Oral bromfenac 10 and 25 mg compared with sublingual buprenorphine 0.2 and 0.4 mg for postoperative pain relief.

The aim of this single-dose, randomized, positive control, double-dummy, double-blind, parallel group study was to compare oral bromfenac 10 and 25 mg with sublingual buprenorphine 0.2 and 0.4 mg for treatment of postoperative pain. We studied 91 patients with moderate or severe pain after general surgical or orthopaedic operations, using pain intensity, pain relief, adverse effect, mood and sedation outcomes. There was a significant analgesic dose-response for buprenorphine, showing study sensitivity, but not for bromfenac. The two bromfenac treatments were significantly superior to the two buprenorphine treatments. Significantly more patients reported nausea with buprenorphine. There was evidence of a ceiling effect for analgesia with bromfenac.