Novel pharmaceutical options for treating fibromyalgia

Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2016 Apr;9(4):559-565. doi: 10.1586/17512433.2016.1145052. Epub 2016 Feb 16.

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder whose symptoms have a devastating effect on patients' lives as they limit their ability to engage in everyday working and social activities, and make it difficult to maintain normal relationships with family, friends and employers. None of the currently available drugs are fully effective against the whole spectrum of symptoms of pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances and depression, but increasing efforts by the pharmaceutical industry have led to the introduction of new investigational drugs and new formulations of older drugs, as well as studies of the possibility of applying drugs currently used for other diseases. The aim of this review is to summarise the data relating to the new therapeutic options that have become available over the last few years.

Keywords: Fibromyalgia; new drugs; pharmacological treatment; review; systemic agents; topical agents.