The EC has approved the first intranasal spray for breakthrough cancer pain, representing a new approach to the treatment of pain in cancer patients.
Instanyl, manufactured by Nycomed, is a first-in-class intranasal fentanyl spray designed to closely match the typical episodes of breakthrough cancer pain.
“We have had a great unmet need in the management of breakthrough cancer pain. With Instanyl, however, we now have a treatment designed to better meet the needs of a patient suffering from breakthrough cancer pain. Instanyl has a fast onset, a short duration, is well tolerated and is easy to use, allowing the patients effective control of the pain episodes with minor adverse effects,” said Professor Stein Kaasa, Chairman of the Research Network of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC-RN).
Instanyl is the first fast-acting intranasal fentanyl spray approved for the management of breakthrough cancer pain in adults already receiving maintenance opioid therapy for chronic cancer pain.
Phase III data on Instanyl has shown clinically substantial pain relief at 10 minutes after administration in 58% of Instanyl-treated pain episodes.
“The intranasal drug administration is an innovation within treatment of breakthrough cancer pain,” added Professor Kaasa.
“The rapid uptake via the nose translates into fast onset of action, enabling the patients to be in control of their pain. Instanyl data presented at the 11th Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) demonstrated an onset of pain relief as early as 5 minutes, underlining the clinical benefit this treatment represents to the patients.”