A new topically applied morphine gel for the pain treatment in patients with chronic leg ulcers. First results of a clinical investigation

The approach to patients with chronic leg ulcers should include not only an accurate diagnosis with appropriate therapy fort he underlying disease, but also the development of effective analgesia. To assess the analgesic effect of topical morphine, we developed a new morphine gel with polihexanide as a preservative for the local pain treatment. We have studied 30 patients with painful chronic leg ulcers with an average age of 66 years. The respective pain intensity was assessed 24 hours after application of the morphine hydrogel and objectified with a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranged from 0 to 10. All investigated patients had a pain intensity of at least 4 points before the topical application of the morphine gel; the average pain intensity was 7.8. After application of the morphine gel, a significant reduction of the average pain intensity was observed, with an average pain intensity of 4.5. These first clinical results with the new morphine gel suggest that at least fort he first 24 hours it combines the advantages of a moist wound healing and a local pain treatment. This new development is certainly a promising therapeutic alternative for pain treatment in patients with chronic leg ulcers.