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Review
. 2023 May 24;10(6):372.
doi: 10.3390/vetsci10060372.

Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics for Acute Pain: Pharmacokinetic Evidence Reviewed

Betty M Tyler  1 , Michael Guarnieri  1
Affiliations
Review

Long-Acting Opioid Analgesics for Acute Pain: Pharmacokinetic Evidence Reviewed

Betty M Tyler et al. Vet Sci. .

Abstract

Long-acting injectable (LAI) opioid formulations mitigate the harm profiles and management challenges associated with providing effective analgesia for animals. A single dose of a long-acting opioid analgesic can provide up to 72 h of clinically relevant pain management. Yet, few of these new drugs have been translated to products for veterinary clinics. Regulatory pathways allow accelerated drug approvals for generic and biosimilar drugs. These pathways depend on rigorous evidence for drug safety and pharmacokinetic evidence demonstrating bioequivalence between the new and the legacy drug. This report reviews the animal PK data associated with lipid and polymer-bound buprenorphine LAI formulations. Buprenorphine is a widely used veterinary opioid analgesic. Because of its safety profile and regulatory status, buprenorphine is more accessible than morphine, methadone, and fentanyl. This review of PK studies coupled with the well-established safety profile of buprenorphine suggests that the accelerated approval pathways may be available for this new family of LAI veterinary pharmaceuticals.

Keywords: analgesia; buprenorphine; extended release; harm reduction; long acting; pharmacokinetic.

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Conflict of interest statement

B.T. has no conflicts to report. M.G. holds significant financial interests in Peabody Pharmaceuticals and Animalgesics Laboratories, which are developing buprenorphine analgesics for human and veterinary medicine, respectively.

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