NCT07269106

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if Anrikefon works as well as nalbuphine to control postoperative pain in adults undergoing ophthalmic surgery under general anesthesia. It will also learn about the safety and recovery outcomes of using Anrikefon. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does Anrikefon provide pain relief that is not inferior to nalbuphine after ophthalmic surgery?
  • Does Anrikefon cause fewer central side effects, such as sedation or dizziness, compared with nalbuphine?
  • Does Anrikefon help patients recover and get discharged faster after day-surgery procedures? Researchers will compare Anrikefon to nalbuphine to see if Anrikefon can offer effective and safer perioperative analgesia for ophthalmic day-surgery patients. Participants will:
  • Receive either an intravenous dose of Anrikefon or nalbuphine during surgery.
  • Be monitored for pain scores, side effects, and recovery parameters after surgery.
  • Complete follow-up assessments.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
204

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for phase_4

Timeline
20mo left

Started Jan 2026

Geographic Reach
1 country

3 active sites

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress15%
Jan 2026Dec 2027

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

November 17, 2025

Completed
21 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

December 8, 2025

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

January 22, 2026

Completed
1.9 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 31, 2027

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 31, 2027

Last Updated

April 1, 2026

Status Verified

March 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

1.9 years

First QC Date

November 17, 2025

Last Update Submit

March 31, 2026

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Cumulative pain severity at rest during the first 6 hours after surgery, measured with the Numeric Rating Scale (0-10, higher scores = worse pain)

    Pain intensity at rest is recorded with the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS: 0 = no pain, 10 = worst possible pain). The area under the curve (AUC) for these scores will be calculated with the trapezoidal rule, using assessments performed in the PACU and at 1 , 2 , 4 and 6 hours post-operatively. A higher AUC indicates greater cumulative pain over the 6-hour period.

    In the PACU and at 1 , 2 , 4 and 6 hours after surgery

Secondary Outcomes (15)

  • Pain severity at rest and during eye movement, measured with the Numeric Rating Scale (0-10, higher scores = worse pain)

    In the PACU and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12 and 24 hours, as well as 1 week and 1 month postoperatively

  • Cumulative pain severity during eye movement (0-6 hours) and at rest/during eye movement (0-12 hours and 0-24 hours), measured with the Numeric Rating Scale

    In the PACU and at 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively

  • Cumulative consumption of rescue analgesics (flurbiprofen axetil in the PACU and paracetamol after discharge from the PACU) within 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively, as well as the time to first use

    At 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively

  • Percentage of patients not requiring rescue analgesics

    At 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively

  • Satisfaction score of analgesia within 24 hours postoperatively

    Within 24 hours postoperatively

  • +10 more secondary outcomes

Other Outcomes (1)

  • Mechanical pain threshold of the operative eye at 2 and 24 hours postoperatively

    At 2 and 24 hours postoperatively

Study Arms (2)

The Anrikefon Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Intravenous injection of Anrikefon 1 μg/kg will be administered 15 minutes before the end of surgery

Drug: Anrikefon

The Nalbuphine Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Intravenous injection of nalbuphine 0.1 mg/kg will be administered 15 minutes before the end of surgery

Drug: Nalbuphine

Interventions

Anrikefon is a novel peripherally KOR agonist independently developed in China. In this study, anrikefon will be administered intravenously at a dose of 1 μg/kg, 15 minutes before the end of surgery.

The Anrikefon Group

Nalbuphine is a traditional central KOR agonist with mixed μ-opioid receptor antagonist activity. In this study, nalbuphine will be administered intravenously at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg, 15 minutes before the end of surgery.

The Nalbuphine Group

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 70 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Scheduled for ophthalmic surgery under general anesthesia.
  • Aged 18 to 70 years.
  • With American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status I to III.
  • Body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 30 kg/m²
  • Agree to participate in the trial and provide written informed consent.

You may not qualify if:

  • History of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular events within the past 6 months, including unstable angina, ischemic myocardial infarction, or heart failure; or current presence of uncontrolled hypertension (\>180/110 mmHg), aneurysm, or severe cardiac arrhythmia.
  • Severe respiratory diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis, severe pulmonary abscess, cor pulmonale, or advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
  • Significant neurological disorders such as brain injury or seizures, as well as severe psychiatric illnesses.
  • Known allergy to kappa opioid receptor agonists or to general anesthetic agents used in this study.
  • Current peptic ulcer disease, gastrointestinal bleeding, or known hypersensitivity to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as flurbiprofen axetil or paracetamol.
  • Prior use of opioid or non-opioid analgesics, with the last administration occurring within five half-life periods of the drug.
  • Continuous use of opioid analgesics for more than 10 days within the 3 months prior to screening.
  • Use of drugs with unknown half-life periods that may affect analgesic efficacy within 14 days before randomization.
  • History of major surgery within the past 3 months that may interfere with postoperative pain assessment.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (3)

Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University

Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, China

RECRUITING

The Affiliated Hospital of Yunnan University

Kunming, Yunnan, 650000, China

NOT YET RECRUITING

Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University

Shanghai, 200031, China

NOT YET RECRUITING

Related Publications (27)

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  • Shao R, Wang HY, Ruan ZR, Jiang B, Yang DD, Hu Y, Xu YC, Yang JT, Gao W, Zhao WY, Yan M, Lou H. Phase I clinical trial evaluating the safety, tolerance, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of HSK21542 injection in healthy volunteers. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2024 Dec;135(6):743-754. doi: 10.1111/bcpt.14094. Epub 2024 Oct 13.

  • Gou X, Chen Y, Ye Q, Meng Q, Jia Y, Li P, Wang Q, Wang J, Zhang C, Wang J, Dong Y. Preclinical evaluation of abuse potential of the peripherally-restricted kappa opioid receptor agonist HSK21542. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2024 Dec;154:105731. doi: 10.1016/j.yrtph.2024.105731. Epub 2024 Oct 23.

  • Wang K, Chen M, Xu F, Zhang F, Liu L, Liu X, Sun Z, Zhao W, Wang Y, Yang J. Population pharmacokinetic modeling and exposure-response analysis of anrikefon: insights and implications in clinical analgesia. Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol. 2025 Jan-Feb;18(1-2):77-88. doi: 10.1080/17512433.2025.2449983. Epub 2025 Jan 23.

  • Zhang XM, Lun MH, Du W, Ma F, Huang ZQ. The kappa-Opioid Receptor Agonist U50488H Ameliorates Neuropathic Pain Through the Ca2+/CaMKII/CREB Pathway in Rats. J Inflamm Res. 2022 May 23;15:3039-3051. doi: 10.2147/JIR.S327234. eCollection 2022.

  • Li J, Ye H, Shen W, Chen Q, Lin Y, Gan X. Retrospective analysis of risk factors of postoperative nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing ambulatory strabismus surgery via general anaesthesia. Indian J Anaesth. 2020 May;64(5):375-382. doi: 10.4103/ija.IJA_16_20. Epub 2020 May 1.

  • Ye H, Lian X, Chen R, Zhu Y, Chen H, Huang J, Xie L, Ma W, Yang H, Guo W. Intraoperative administration of intravenous flurbiprofen axetil with nalbuphine reduces postoperative pain after orbital decompression: a single-center, prospective randomized controlled trial. J Pain Res. 2019 Feb 14;12:659-665. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S187020. eCollection 2019.

  • Ye Z, Zhu Y, Zhang R, Wang Y, Huang J, Gan X. Effect of Multimodal Preemptive Analgesia of Flurbiprofen Axetil, Nalbuphine, and Retrobulbar Block on Postoperative Pain and Enhanced Recovery in Patients Undergoing Oculoplastic Day Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blinded Study. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2023 May-Jun 01;39(3):260-265. doi: 10.1097/IOP.0000000000002308. Epub 2023 Jan 24.

  • Charlson ES, Feng PW, Bui A, Grob S, Tao JP. Opioid Prescribing Patterns Among American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Members in the Medicare Part D Database. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2019 Jul/Aug;35(4):360-364. doi: 10.1097/IOP.0000000000001266.

  • Shanthanna H, Ladha KS, Kehlet H, Joshi GP. Perioperative Opioid Administration. Anesthesiology. 2021 Apr 1;134(4):645-659. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0000000000003572.

  • Brummett CM, Waljee JF, Goesling J, Moser S, Lin P, Englesbe MJ, Bohnert ASB, Kheterpal S, Nallamothu BK. New Persistent Opioid Use After Minor and Major Surgical Procedures in US Adults. JAMA Surg. 2017 Jun 21;152(6):e170504. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2017.0504. Epub 2017 Jun 21.

  • Zhang L, Shu R, Zhao Q, Li Y, Wang C, Wang H, Yu Y, Wang G. Preoperative But Not Postoperative Flurbiprofen Axetil Alleviates Remifentanil-induced Hyperalgesia After Laparoscopic Gynecological Surgery: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blinded, Trial. Clin J Pain. 2017 May;33(5):435-442. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000416.

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  • Zhu Y, Li Z, Chen W, Fan P, Yang S, Liu X, Guo W, Gan X. Incidence and Risk Factors of Moderate to Severe Postoperative Pain Following the Placement of Primary and Secondary Orbital Implants: A Prospective Observational Study. Ophthalmic Plast Reconstr Surg. 2021 Jan-Feb 01;37(1):27-32. doi: 10.1097/IOP.0000000000001664.

  • Ye H, Chen R, Lian X, Huang J, Mao Y, Lu R, Ai S, Ma W, Lin J, Yang H, Guo W. Risk factors associated with postoperative pain and discomfort in oculoplastic surgery with general anesthesia: a prospective study. J Pain Res. 2018 Feb 21;11:407-415. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S156104. eCollection 2018.

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  • Chou R, Gordon DB, de Leon-Casasola OA, Rosenberg JM, Bickler S, Brennan T, Carter T, Cassidy CL, Chittenden EH, Degenhardt E, Griffith S, Manworren R, McCarberg B, Montgomery R, Murphy J, Perkal MF, Suresh S, Sluka K, Strassels S, Thirlby R, Viscusi E, Walco GA, Warner L, Weisman SJ, Wu CL. Management of Postoperative Pain: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Pain Society, the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, and the American Society of Anesthesiologists' Committee on Regional Anesthesia, Executive Committee, and Administrative Council. J Pain. 2016 Feb;17(2):131-57. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2015.12.008.

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MeSH Terms

Interventions

Nalbuphine

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

MorphinansOpiate AlkaloidsAlkaloidsHeterocyclic CompoundsHeterocyclic Compounds, Bridged-RingHeterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More RingsHeterocyclic Compounds, Fused-RingPhenanthrenesPolycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonsPolycyclic Compounds

Central Study Contacts

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 4
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Director of the Department of Anesthesiology

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

November 17, 2025

First Posted

December 8, 2025

Study Start

January 22, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 31, 2027

Last Updated

April 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-03

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations