Eli Lilly trial data suggests reduced pain with Cymbalta

Eli Lilly has presented new trial data indicating that fibromyalgia patients administered with Cymbalta (duloxetine HCl) exhibit a greater reduction in pain severity a week after the initiation of treatment compared to those receiving placebo.

Patients in the study were given 60 mg or 120 mg of the compound, while their pain was measured by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) average pain score, taken in conjunction with the Patient’s Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) questionnaire.

The trial involved both patients with and without depression, with the results presented at the annual congress of the International Myopain Society.

At three months, patients treated with both doses of the compound showed improvement in PGI-I and improvement in baseline BPI scores.

I Jon Russell, associate professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Centre in San Antonio, said: “Between 34 per cent and 62 per cent of those living with fibromyalgia will experience depression at some point in their lives.

“In this study, which included patients with and without depression, duloxetine reduced the pain associated with fibromyalgia.”

He noted that the chronic condition can affect the overall emotional well-being and health of patients.

In May 2007, Lilly reported that patients with generalised anxiety disorder treated with Cymbalta showed improved everyday functioning.