Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-16-2025
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Assess feasibility, safety, and tolerability of 3 months of oral brivaracetam for severe (9-10/10) spinal cord injury-related neuropathic pain.
METHODS: We conducted a multisite pilot study where adults were randomized to 3 months of brivaracetam (100 mg BID) or placebo. Pain was assessed via the Brief Pain Inventory, the International Spinal Cord Injury Pain Basic Dataset (version 2.0), and a daily pain diary.
RESULTS: We enrolled 24 participants across 2 sites and 14 participants were included in the final analysis (n = 8 placebo, n = 6 brivaracetam). The drug was tolerated with expected, nonserious side effects (nausea if taken on an empty stomach, fatigue that improved after 2-3 days). Side effects were more common in the brivaracetam group (73%, n = 8 vs 33%, n = 3). We observed a mean 2.7-point reduction in daily worst pain in the brivaracetam group compared to a 1.0-point reduction in the placebo group. The percentage of participants experiencing 30% (100% vs 60%) and 50% (60% vs 12.5%) pain reduction was greater in the brivaracetam group.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest safety, tolerability, and feasibility of brivaracetam for treating neuropathic pain in spinal cord injury. These pilot findings will be used to power future efficacy clinical trials.
Recommended Citation
Morse, Leslie R.; Battaglino, Ricardo A.; Nguyen, Nguyen; DeVries, Brian; Welch, Abigail; Battaglino, Ana Lucia; Linnman, Clas; Stillman, Michael; Wudlick, Robert; Glossner, Joda; Anderton, Grant; Goldstein, Richard; and Falci, Scott P., "Brivaracetam for Spinal Cord Injury-Related Neuropathic Pain: Results of a Pilot Double-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial" (2025). Department of Medicine Faculty Papers. Paper 494.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/medfp/494
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
PubMed ID
40528843
Language
English
Included in
Heterocyclic Compounds Commons, Investigative Techniques Commons, Nervous System Diseases Commons, Other Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons, Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Commons, Therapeutics Commons
Comments
This article is the author's final published version in Pain Reports, Volume 10, Issue 4, June 2025, e1301.
The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1097/PR9.0000000000001301.
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s)