Pain research & management
An Exploratory Retrospective Comparison of Crisugabalin and Pregabalin Among 12-Week Treatment Completers With Postherpetic Neuralgia
By Shang RT, Chen QQ, Zhang JY and 5 others.
Abstract
Background
Pregabalin (PGB) is commonly used for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), but its clinical effectiveness may be limited by insufficient pain relief or adverse events (AEs). Crisugabalin (CGB) is a novel α2δ-1 ligand that has demonstrated efficacy in randomized placebo-controlled trials. However, comparative real-world evidence for CGB and PGB remains limited.
Methods
This single-center retrospective cohort study included patients with PHN who completed at least 12 weeks of CGB or PGB monotherapy between January and June 2025. In October 2025, a single structured telephone interview was conducted to retrospectively assess patients' recalled status at treatment initiation (T0) and at Weeks 1, 4, and 12. Outcomes included the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the physical and mental component summary scores of the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Linear mixed effects models (LMMs) were designated as the primary analyses and adjusted for age, sex, pain location, pre-enrollment pain duration, hypertension, and diabetes. Repeated measures analysis of variance and the LMM analysis based on inverse probability weighting of propensity scores were performed as sensitivity analysis. Safety outcomes were descriptively assessed among treatment completers.