Excerpts from the MY-COMPASSION Expert Meeting

BTcP is defined as: “A transient exacerbation of pain that occurs either spontaneously, or in relation to a specific predictable or unpredictable trigger, despite relatively stable and adequately controlled background pain”.^1,2 While there are various pain profiles associated with BTcP, a BTcP episode is typically severe, reaching peak pain intensity within 1–3 minutes from onset and is short in duration (ie, subsiding within 30 minutes).² In Malaysia, opioids such as oral immediate-release(IR), intravenous (IV) and subcutaneous (SC) morphine are prescribed as ‘rescue’ medications for BTcP.² IR opioids reach peak concentrations around 1 hour post-administration,and have a half-life of 3–6 hours, which may be suitable for longer duration BTcP episodes, but may not sufficiently address ‘sharp’, short-duration BTcP.² In contrast, the faster onset of action seen in ROOs (eg, SLF which reaches peak plasma concentrations within 30–60 minutes post-administration) may be better suited for such episodes of BTcP.^3,4