Qutenza (capsaicin) / Astellas, Grunenthal, LTS Lohmann Therapy Systems, Apotex - LARVOL DELTA

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Treatments for Chronic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain: A Systematic Review and Narrative Synthesis. (PubMed, Pain Ther) - "The findings from this literature review emphasize the importance of expanding long-term evidence for chronic pain therapies. The review determined that the largest body of evidence is available for HCCP. Finally, it highlights the need for more standardized long-term evidence studies for chronic pain therapies."

Journal • Review • Diabetic Neuropathy • Neuralgia • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Procedural Optimization of Capsaicin 8% Patch Therapy Using Ultrasound-Guided Bilateral Ankle Nerve Block in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study. (PubMed, Healthcare (Basel)) - "This study evaluated whether ultrasound-guided bilateral ankle nerve block (UGBANB) was associated with better procedural outcomes than topical eutectic mixture of lidocaine/prilocaine (EMLA) pretreatment or no pretreatment. These findings relate specifically to procedural optimization and should not be interpreted as evidence that UGBANB enhances the intrinsic or long-term analgesic efficacy of capsaicin. Prospective multicenter randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these associations and determine whether improved procedural tolerability translates into better long-term treatment adherence, clinical outcomes, health-related quality of life, safety, and cost-effectiveness."

Journal • Retrospective data • Anesthesia • Diabetic Neuropathy • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

High-Concentration Capsaicin Patch and Oral Pregabalin as Second-Line Therapy for Intercostobrachial Neuralgia After Breast Cancer Surgery: Open-Label Follow-Up of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial. (PubMed, Cancers (Basel)) - "This first study to examine switching between PGB and HCCP treatments for chronic intercostobrachial neuropathic pain after breast cancer surgery showed patients' preference for HCCP, confirmed the benefit of repeated HCCP applications, and indicated that HCCP could be preceded by PGB without compromising efficacy or safety. These findings suggest that HCCP may be used early in this population, and PGB initiated before HCCP to relieve patients waiting for HCCP application."

Clinical • Journal • Breast Cancer • Neuralgia • Oncology • Pain • Solid Tumor

Topical Pain Management: An Updated Review of Current Evidence and Emerging Strategies. (PubMed, J Clin Med) - "The review also discusses newer and less established therapies used mainly in neuropathic pain, including topical ketamine, amitriptyline, phenytoin, gabapentin, and clonidine... Current evidence supports topical NSAIDs as first-line therapy for localized musculoskeletal pain and osteoarthritis, while lidocaine and high-concentration capsaicin patches are effective options in focal neuropathic pain...It is recognized that a multimodal approach to pain management, which utilizes drugs with different mechanisms of action, can increase efficacy and reduce the systemic adverse events of the drugs used. The effective and safe treatment of patients with pain, especially neuropathic pain, despite emerging new clinical trials, remains a challenge for clinicians."

Journal • Review • Anesthesia • Immunology • Inflammation • Musculoskeletal Diseases • Musculoskeletal Pain • Neuralgia • Osteoarthritis • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain • Rheumatology

Revised Recommendations on the use of pharmacological therapies for neuropathic pain relief (EAN 2026) - "Second-line options include topical therapies such as high-concentration capsaicin patches, capsaicin cream, and lidocaine 5% plasters. Beyond summarizing the evidence, the session will provide practical guidance on how to translate these updated recommendations into everyday clinical decision-making. Attendees will leave with a clear understanding of current pharmacological treatment hierarchies for neuropathic pain and the strengths and limitations of the available evidence."

Neuralgia • Pain

Repeated Capsaicin Patch Therapy in Elderly Neuropathic Pain: Progressive Real-World Improvements (EAN 2026) - "Repeated HCCP therapy is associated with progressive, clinically meaningful improvements and good tolerability in very elderly patients with localized PNP, supporting its role as a long-term topical treatment option."

Clinical • Real-world • Real-world evidence • Geriatric Disorders • Neuralgia • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain • Sleep Disorder

Postherpetic Neuralgia: Mechanisms, Risk Factors, and Stratified Management-A Narrative Review. (PubMed, CNS Neurosci Ther) - "PHN remains the most common and therapeutically challenging complication of HZ. Although a stratified framework for PHN management has been proposed, it still requires validation in clinical practice and further refinement to support more effective individualized treatment."

Journal • Review • CNS Disorders • Herpes Zoster • Neuralgia • Pain • Varicella Zoster

CAPSACOXp: Analgesic Efficacy of Capsaicin 8% Patch (QUTENZA®) in Coccygodygnia (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A | N=106 | Recruiting | Sponsor: Nantes University Hospital | Not yet recruiting ➔ Recruiting | Trial completion date: Dec 2023 ➔ Jun 2027 | Trial primary completion date: Dec 2023 ➔ Mar 2027

Enrollment open • Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date

Real-World Effectiveness of Capsaicin 8% Patch in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (ENDO 2026) - "In this real-world cohort, capsaicin 8% patch therapy produced sustained and clinically meaningful pain reduction in patients with painful DPN, with a magnitude exceeding reductions reported in pivotal trials. Although improvements in global impression and sleep did not reach statistical significance, likely due to small sample sizes at later timepoints, the robust pain reduction supports capsaicin 8% as an effective non-systemic treatment option for DPN."

Clinical • Real-world • Real-world effectiveness • Real-world evidence • Diabetes • Diabetic Neuropathy • Metabolic Disorders • Neuralgia • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus • TRPV1

CAPSAPED: Analgesic Effectiveness of Capsaicin 8% Cutaneous Patch in Children (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3 | N=46 | Recruiting | Sponsor: University Hospital, Brest | Trial completion date: Apr 2026 ➔ Jul 2028 | Trial primary completion date: Apr 2026 ➔ Jul 2028

Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Neuralgia • Pain

8% capsaicin patches for HIV-induced polyneuropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (PubMed, Pain Manag) - "Our systematic review and meta-analysis notes that topical 8% lidocaine patches are effective in reducing neuropathic pain in patients with HIV-neuropathy. Future larger studies should be conducted to investigate the place of 8% capsaicin patches in the treatment algorithm for HIV-neuropathy. www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero identifier CRD420251114796."

Journal • Retrospective data • Review • Human Immunodeficiency Virus • Infectious Disease • Neuralgia • Pain

Topical capsaicin 8% differentially blocks activation of nociceptors by mechanical, heat, and electrical stimuli in human skin. (PubMed, Pain) - "In contrast, mechanical impact pain was only marginally and transiently reduced suggesting alternative transduction routes or capsaicin-insensitive nociceptors. Only pain to tonic C-fiber stimulation required months for recovery, thus resembling long-lasting analgesic effects in capsaicin-treated patients."

Journal • Pain

A DECISION TREE ESTIMATING TOTAL COST OF CARE USING EXPOSURE-ADJUSTED DISCONTINUATION: CAPSAICIN 8% VERSUS ORAL TREATMENTS FOR PAINFUL DIABETIC NEUROPATHY IN THE UNITED STATES (ISPOR 2026) - "OBJECTIVES: To estimate 12-month total cost of care due to discontinuation for topical capsaicin 8% (HCCTS) versus oral PDPN treatments from a US payer perspective as existing PDPN economic models inadequately capture the cost of therapy withdrawal and related medical costs. A decision tree model simulated 1,000 adults initiating PDPN treatment with HCCTS or oral agents (duloxetine, pregabalin, gabapentin, amitriptyline, venlafaxine, topiramate); structurally the tree aligned to capsaicin's three-month (3M) retreatment intervals. Exposure-adjusted cost modeling using trial reported withdrawals estimated HCCTS on treatment time was up to 3x greater vs orals. HCCTS persistence meant fewer medical costs, offsetting drug acquisition costs to yield annual total cost savings of $0.7M-$25.7M vs PDPN oral alternatives for a cohort of 1,000 patients."

Cost of care • HEOR • Diabetic Neuropathy • Pain

SPM 2024: Prospective, randomized, blinded, comparative study between botulinum toxin and topical capsaicin in the treatment of postmastectomy syndrome. Pilot study (clinicaltrialsregister.eu) - P4 | N=30 | Active, not recruiting | Sponsor: Fundacion Para El Fomento De La Investigacion Sanitaria Y Biomedica De La Comunitat Valenciana | Not yet recruiting ➔ Active, not recruiting

Enrollment closed • Breast Cancer

Observational Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Sustained QUTENZA® Use in Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy (clinicaltrials.gov) - P=N/A | N=144 | Active, not recruiting | Sponsor: Averitas Pharma, Inc. | Recruiting ➔ Active, not recruiting

Enrollment closed • Diabetic Neuropathy • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Comparison of Qutenza (8% Capsaicin) With a Low-dose Capsaicin for Treatment of Nerve Pain After Surgery (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3 | N=409 | Completed | Sponsor: Averitas Pharma, Inc. | Trial primary completion date: Mar 2025 ➔ Aug 2025

Trial primary completion date • Neuralgia • Pain

CAPNEUCHIM: Capsaicin 179 mg Patch Versus Oral Duloxetine in Patients With Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (clinicaltrials.gov) - P3 | N=274 | Recruiting | Sponsor: Institut Cancerologie de l'Ouest | Trial completion date: Mar 2027 ➔ Mar 2028 | Trial primary completion date: Mar 2027 ➔ Mar 2028

Trial completion date • Trial primary completion date • Pain

Cold Feet, Warm Patch: Capsaicin Patch Therapy for Neuropathic Pain in Non-Freezing Cold Injury (PainConnect 2026) - No abstract available

Neuralgia • Pain

Cooling the burn: EMLA alone vs. paravertebral block plus EMLA for improving tolerability of 8% capsaicin patch application in thoracic postherpetic neuralgia-a retrospective cohort study. (PubMed, Front Aging Neurosci) - "TPVB combined with EMLA yielded profound improvements in procedural tolerability, early pain control, sleep quality, and patient acceptability during 8% capsaicin patch therapy for thoracic PHN, while markedly reducing opioid rescue needs. These findings support TPVB-assisted capsaicin therapy as a promising multimodal strategy deserving evaluation in prospective controlled trials."

Journal • Retrospective data • Neuralgia • Pain

Q-HEAL-001: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the effects of high concentration capsaicin patch (Qutenza) on neuropathic symptoms, nerve fibers, and microcirculation in painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (clinicaltrialsregister.eu) - P1/2 | N=40 | Not yet recruiting | Sponsor: Deutsche Diabetes Forschungsgesellschaft e.V.

New P1/2 trial • Diabetic Neuropathy • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Clinical prediction in treatment with 8% capsaicin patch for post-traumatic neuropathic pain: a critical perspective based on accumulated evidence. (PubMed, Rev Esp Anestesiol Reanim (Engl Ed)) - No abstract available

Journal • Neuralgia • Pain

Progressive Improvements with Repeated High-Concentration Capsaicin Patch: Real-World Data from the Retrospective CASPAR German Pain e-Registry Study in Postherpetic Neuralgia. (PubMed, Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)) - "HCCP is an effective and well-tolerated topical treatment for patients with PHN, including older adults. After one treatment, improvements were noted in API, QoL, sleep, and mood outcomes, alongside decreased concomitant pain medication use, with progressive improvements following additional treatments. A Graphical Abstract is available for this article."

Journal • Real-world evidence • Retrospective data • Neuralgia • Pain

Exploring the Benefit of Topical Capsaicin in Treating Pain From Chemo-induced Peripheral Neuropathy: a Longitudinal Single Center Pilot Study (clinicaltrials.gov) - P1 | N=20 | Recruiting | Sponsor: M.D. Anderson Cancer Center | Not yet recruiting ➔ Recruiting

Enrollment open • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Real-world 12-month outcomes of repeated high-concentration capsaicin patch in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: results from the CASPAR study. (PubMed, Front Oncol) - "Adverse events were mostly mild, transient, and limited to the application site. This real-world analysis indicates that repeated HCCP treatment is associated with progressive improvements in pain intensity, QoL, and functional outcomes in patients with CIPN, while maintaining good long-term tolerability."

Journal • Real-world evidence • Neuralgia • Oncology • Pain • Peripheral Neuropathic Pain

Understanding the Use and Impact of Capsaicin 8% Patches: A Patient-Centered Study on Efficacy, Adverse Effects, and Repeat Usage (ASHP 2025) - No abstract available

Adverse events • Clinical