A phase III placebo- and oxycodone-controlled study of tanezumab in adults with osteoarthritis pain of the hip or knee

Abstract Tanezumab is a humanized monoclonal antinerve growth factor antibody in development for treatment of chronic pain. In a phase III, placebo- and active-controlled study, we investigated the efficacy and safety of tanezumab for osteoarthritis (OA) hip or knee pain. Patients (N = 610) received up to 2 doses of intravenous tanezumab (5 or 10 mg in 8-week intervals), controlled-release oral oxycodone (10 to 40 mg every 12 hours), or placebo. The primary endpoint was mean change from baseline to week 8 in Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) Pain score for tanezumab versus placebo and oxycodone. Secondary endpoints included change from baseline in WOMAC Physical Function and Stiffness scores, Patient’s Global Assessment (PGA) of OA, and patient response, defined as ⩾30%, ⩾50%, ⩾70%, and ⩾90% improvement from baseline in WOMAC Pain score. Tolerability and safety also were assessed. Both tanezumab groups demonstrated significant improvements in WOMAC Pain score versus placebo ( P P  ⩽ .018). Tanezumab also provided significant improvements versus placebo and oxycodone for WOMAC Physical Function and Stiffness scores and PGA of OA ( P  ⩽ .002 for all) at week 8. For all analyses, oxycodone did not differ from placebo. Adverse event frequency was higher with oxycodone (63.3%) than tanezumab (40.7% to 44.7%) or placebo (35.5%); serious adverse event frequency was similar among treatments. The adverse event profile for tanezumab was similar to previous tanezumab studies. Results indicate that tanezumab is efficacious in the treatment of OA pain; no new safety signals were identified.