Comparative Pharmacology
Head-to-head clinical analysis: KADIAN versus OXYCONTIN.
Peer-Reviewed Evidence
Head-to-head clinical analysis: KADIAN versus OXYCONTIN.
KADIAN vs OXYCONTIN
Comparing the clinical profiles, pharmacokinetic behaviors, and safety indices of these two therapeutic agents.
Mu-opioid receptor agonist; modulates pain perception and emotional response to pain.
Oxycodone is a full opioid agonist with relative selectivity for the mu-opioid receptor, although it can bind to other opioid receptors at higher doses. The principal therapeutic action of oxycodone is analgesia. Like all full opioid agonists, there is no ceiling effect for analgesia with oxycodone. Clinically, dosage is titrated to provide adequate analgesia and may be limited by adverse reactions, including respiratory and CNS depression.
20-100 mg orally every 12 hours; titration based on pain severity and prior opioid exposure.
10 mg orally every 12 hours; titrate based on pain severity and prior opioid exposure.
None Documented
None Documented
Terminal elimination half-life of morphine: 2–4 hours; KADIAN extended-release formulation: effective half-life ~12 hours due to prolonged absorption, dosing q12h or q24h
4.5-5.0 hours (immediate-release); controlled-release OXYCONTIN has an apparent half-life of 4.5-8.7 hours. Terminal half-life is ~3.5-4 hours for immediate-release, reflecting context-sensitive elimination.
Renal: primarily as morphine-3-glucuronide (M3G) and morphine-6-glucuronide (M6G); ~90% of total elimination is renal, with 10% biliary/fecal
Primarily renal (90% as metabolites, 10% unchanged). Also biliary/fecal (10%).
Category C
Category C
Opioid Analgesic
Opioid Analgesic