Could a low-dose buprenorphine film be a safer painkiller than oxycodone?
NCT ID NCT05988710
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether low-dose buccal buprenorphine (a film placed in the cheek) can provide pain relief similar to a standard dose of oxycodone but with less potential for abuse. 120 healthy adults will receive different doses of buprenorphine, oxycodone, or placebo in separate sessions. Researchers will measure pain tolerance and drug liking to compare the two drugs.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- buprenorphine (buccal) and oxycodone (oral)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that low-dose buccal buprenorphine provides pain relief similar to oxycodone but with lower abuse potential, pointing toward a safer painkiller option.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase study in healthy volunteers, not patients with pain. Results may not translate to real-world use, and abuse potential may still be significant.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
-
About 120 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Oct 2023
- Expected to finish
-
Feb 2028
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 65 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Intact cognitive status and ability to provide informed consent * Ability to read and write in English sufficiently to understand and complete study questionnaires * Age 18-65 * Opioid-naive status (defined as no use of full mu-opioid receptor (MOR) agonist, partial MOR agonist, or mixed agonist/antagonist medications for the prior 3 months by patient report Exclusion Criteria: * Liver/kidney disease * Chronic pain * Current/prior substance use disorder * Pregnancy (to avoid fetal drug exposure, with pregnancy tests conducted to confirm eligibility) * Seizure disorder * Certain psychiatric conditions (severe depression, bipolar disorder, psychotic disorders) * Recent use of medications that may interfere with study drug metabolism * Recent benzodiazepine or opioid use (confirmed via rapid urine screening prior to each lab session) * The presence of any medical conditions felt by the study physician to render participant unsafe * Prior allergic reaction or intolerance to oxycodone, buprenorphine, or their analogs (explicitly including moderate-to-severe nausea or vomiting with prior opioids) * Recent use of marijuana, delta-8 THC, CBD, and similar products * Recent use of kratom * Severe asthma * Long QT syndrome * Parkinson disease * Weight \<60 kg
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Abuse opioids are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37069, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Can a finger sensor reveal whether an epidural is working?
- Five simple signs could help nurses score surgical pain in turkish
- Can a local anesthetic injection curb Kids' pain after tonsil removal?
- Can green light glasses take the sting out of surgery?
- Can a Hands-On nerve technique ease Fibromyalgia's grip?
- Fixing broken ribs with surgery may cut pain better than drugs alone