Novel Technology Eases Cancer Pain

Cancer patients burdened with breakthrough pain (sudden pain flare-ups) may soon be aided by a new easy-to-use oral drug delivery system.

The BEMA system is a polymer layered adhesive disc that is applied to the mucosal surface of the mouth. The small disc, the size of a small coin, is composed of an adhesive layer and a non-adhesive backing layer. The disc adheres to the inside cheeks and delivers the dose of medication quickly into the bloodstream. Upon completion of drug delivery, the BEMA disc disintegrates in the mouth and leaves no drug residue. For cancer patients, the BEMA disc is loaded with the opiate fentanyl, a potent opioid analgesic first developed in the 1950s, and long in use by the medical community for controlling various types of pain. The BEMA Fentanyl system is under development by BioDelivery Sciences (Morrisville, NC, USA), and has recently completed phase III efficacy clinical trial in cancer patients.

"The results of our study demonstrated that fentanyl could be delivered rapidly, effectively, and easily using the BEMA technology,” said Dr. Andrew Finn, BioDelivery Sciences' VP of product development. "Besides allowing greater absorption of fentanyl, the BEMA disc was easier to use, as it only required seconds to apply.”

Breakthrough pain is a brief and often severe shooting of pain that breaks through a patient's continuous medication for persistent pain, and often has a rapid onset and lasts a short duration of time. It is caused either by the cancer itself or the cancer treatment; for some patients, the pain is connected to certain activities, such as walking or dressing, while for others, it occurs unexpectedly.


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