title: Buprenorphine for neuropathic pain in adults.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Opioid drugs, including buprenorphine, are commonly used to treat neuropathic pain, and are considered effective by some professionals. Most reviews have examined all opioids together. This review sought evidence specifically for buprenorphine, at any dose, and by any route of administration. Other opioids are considered in separate reviews.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the analgesic efficacy of buprenorphine for chronic neuropathic pain in adults, and the adverse events associated with its use in clinical trials.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and EMBASE from inception to 11 June 2015, together with reference lists of retrieved papers and reviews, and two online study registries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included randomised, double-blind studies of two weeks' duration or longer, comparing any oral dose or formulation of buprenorphine with placebo or another active treatment in chronic neuropathic pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two review authors independently searched for studies, extracted efficacy and adverse event data, and examined issues of study quality. We did not carry out any pooled analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Searches identified 10 published studies, and one study with results in ClinicalTrials.gov. None of these 11 studies satisfied our inclusion criteria, and so we included no studies in the review.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was insufficient evidence to support or refute the suggestion that buprenorphine has any efficacy in any neuropathic pain condition.
authors.affiliation: Pain Research and Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (Nuffield Division of Anaesthetics), University of Oxford, Pain Research Unit, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK, OX3 7LE.
authors.forename: Philip J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wiffen
authors.forename: Sheena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Derry
authors.forename: R Andrew
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stannard
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Aldington
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knaggs
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D009437:Neuralgia / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D002047:Buprenorphine