Lacosamide effects on pain management in patients with multiple sclerosis: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Elnaz Nouri, Seyed Mohammad Baghbanian, Monireh Ghazaeian et al.
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In 30 seconds
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessed lacosamide for moderate-to-severe MS-related pain in adults with definite multiple sclerosis. Participants received lacosamide, titrated to a maximum of 200 mg twice daily, or matching placebo for 12 weeks. At month three, lacosamide was associated with significantly greater reductions in pain severity and interference, and 90.0% of lacosamide recipients reported clinical improvement compared with 37.5% receiving placebo (P < 0.001). Quality-of-life scores also improved, and no serious adverse events occurred.
Key findings
- Pain severity decreased significantly more with lacosamide than placebo (P = 0.001), with targets of pain below 4 and a 50% reduction achieved.
- Pain interference and total NPSI scores improved significantly (P = 0.025; ∼70% reduction).
- At month three, 90.0% of lacosamide patients reported clinical improvement versus 37.5% with placebo (P < 0.001).
- SF-36 scores improved (P = 0.022); no serious adverse events occurred.
Why it matters
Pain can substantially burden people with multiple sclerosis, and treatment options are limited. The trial reports improvements across pain severity, interference, patient-reported global change, and quality of life with lacosamide compared with placebo. These findings provide clinical evidence for an analgesic effect in the studied population, while the trial’s duration and population define the scope of the evidence.