The Use of a Self-Occluding Topical Anasthetic in Daily Practice: A Non-Interventional Study

Introduction: A variety of topical anesthetic creams are available to reduce pain associated with dermatological procedures. Pliaglis is a self-occluding eutectic mixture of lidocaine and tetracaine. Study Objectives: To evaluate the post-marketing safety profile of Pliaglis and efficacy in terms of pain reduction, product satisfaction, and daily practice use prior to pre-defined dermatological procedures. Methods: A prospective, non-interventional study conducted at 44 sites in four European countries; 581 patients were treated prior to dermatological procedures such as pulsed-dye laser therapy, laser-assisted hair removal, non-ablative laser resurfacing, dermal filler injections, and vascular access. Efficacy was assessed by patients and investigators and included pain intensity (visual analogue scale [VAS]), satisfaction, and adequacy of pain relief. Safety was evaluated by adverse event (AE) reporting. Results: In 75% of the performed procedures, patients scored the pain experienced during the procedure as <= 30 mm on the VAS and most were very satisfied or satisfied with the pain reduction. The investigators assessed the product as providing adequate anesthesia in 97% of the performed procedures and were mostly very satisfied or satisfied with the convenience of use (79%) and tolerability (95%). Twenty-four AEs were reported in 18 (3%) patients. Discussion: Most patients experienced mild pain only as evident by the <= 30 mm VAS scores. Patients and investigators were aligned with regards to both product satisfaction and their opinion on adequacy of pain reduction. The AE frequency was low compared to previous studies, possibly relating to different ways of collecting AEs. Conclusion: Pliaglis was well-tolerated and provided adequate pain reduction prior to dermatological procedures. www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01800474).