Journal of Pain Research

Tapentadol for moderate to severe acute pain in children and adolescents

Medical advances and new drug development continue to reach new heights. In 1996, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 50 new drugs. In 2018, the FDA issued 61 approvals. However, these numbers do not reflect the progress of pharmaceutical development in 25% of the population – children. Tapentadol is a novel molecule with both mu-opioid and SNRI-like (serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) properties that have been shown to be effective in the treatment of acute and chronic pain in adults. This Thematic Series describes both single-blind and double-blind randomized control studies that have shown short-term benefits of this new pain medication in children. Confirmation of the short-term effects in the pediatric population from these studies allow health care providers to prescribe the oral formulation of Tapentadol with confidence in its dose, predicted effects and potential side effects.