Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40407505›Full record

ArticlePharmacy (Basel, Switzerland)2025

Declines in Tapentadol Use in the US but Pronounced Regional Variation.

Ching Y Low, Kenneth L McCall, Brian J Piper

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Ching Y LowDepartment of Medical Education, Geisinger College of Health Sciences, Scranton, PA 18509, USA.
Kenneth L McCallDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Binghamton University, Johnson City, NY 13790, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2061-108X
Brian J PiperDepartment of Medical Education, Geisinger College of Health Sciences, Scranton, PA 18509, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2295-445X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTapentadol is an atypical opioid with a dual mechanism as a mu agonist and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. This study characterized tapentadol use in the United States (US) using three databases.

methodsDrug distribution data from 2010 to 2020 were extracted from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)'s Automated Reports and Consolidated Orders System (ARCOS), including use per region (mg/person) and business activity (i.e., pharmacy). Tapentadol prescription claims from the Medicare and Medicaid programs for 2010-2020 were also examined.

resultsThe distributed amount of tapentadol was 3.5 tons in 2020. Distribution was over twice as high in southern (South Atlantic = 29.0 mg/person, East South Central = 28.8) relative to Pacific (12.9) or New England (12.8) states. Tapentadol use decreased nationally between 2012 and 2020 by -53.8%. Adult diabetes prevalence was significantly associated with tapentadol distribution in 2012 (r(50) = +0.44,

conclusionsThere has been a substantial decline over the past decade in tapentadol distribution and prescribing. However, the substantial regional differences may warrant further attention by opioid stewardship programs.

Indexed as

ARCOSdiabetesopiateopioidpainpharmacoepidemiology

Identifiers

PMID40407505
PMCPMC12101176

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.