U-M-tested Drug Relieves Pain of Fibromyalgia

Leslie Crofford Photo: Gregory Fox

Pregabalin, a drug developed by Pfizer, Inc., and tested at the University of Michigan, could help reduce the pain associated with fibromyalgia, according to study data presented in October 2002 by U-M researcher Leslie Crofford, M.D., at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology.

“Fibromyalgia syndrome is highly debilitating for patients and difficult to treat,” says Crofford, the study’s lead investigator and an associate professor of internal medicine-rheumatology in the U-M Medical School. “This study is encouraging, because pregabalin was shown to provide significant relief from the symptoms most troublesome to patients.”

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain. It also is frequently associated with fatigue and sleep disturbances. The syndrome is estimated to affect 2 percent of the population, or 5.6 million Americans, and occurs most often in women.

The U-M study included 529 patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Patients received either a placebo or pregabalin at doses of 150, 300 or 450 milligrams for eight weeks. Patients kept records of their pain levels in detailed daily diaries.

Pregabalin-treated patients who received 450 mg/day doses showed statistically significant improvements in pain compared to those who received the placebo. Twenty-nine percent of pregabalin-treated patients reported at least a 50 percent reduction in pain, compared with 13 percent of patients who received the placebo. In addition, pregabalin significantly improved sleep quality and lessened fatigue.

—KG

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General information on fibromyalgia syndrome

U-M fibryomyalgia research