Patent ID: RE41571

Claim:
A method of treating pain in a human patient, comprising administering buprenorphine transdermally to said human patient by applying a transdermal delivery system to the skin of a patient, and maintaining said transdermal delivery system in contact with the patient's skin for at least 5 days a seven day dosing interval , said transdermal delivery system maintaining a mean relative release rate of from about 3 ug/hr to about 86 ug/hr and providing a substantially first order plasma level increase of buprenorphine from the initiation of the dosing interval until about 72 hours after the initiation of the dosing interval; and a mean relative release rate of about 0.3 ug/hr to about 9 ug/hr and providing a substantially zero order plasma level fluctuation of buprenorphine from about 72 hours after the initiation of the dosing interval until the end of at least the five seven -day dosing interval, such that the following mean plasma concentrations are achieved: a mean plasma concentration from about 0.3 to about 113 pg/ml at about 6 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 3 to about 296 pg/ml at about 12 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 7 to about 644 pg/ml at about 24 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 13 to about 753 pg/ml at about 36 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 16 to about 984 pg/ml at about 48 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 20 to about 984 pg/ml at about 60 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 21 to about 1052 pg/ml at about 72 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; and a mean plasma concentration from about 19 to about 1052 pg/ml over at least the next 48 hours a mean plasma concentration from about 23 to about 1052 pg/ml at about 96 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 23 to about 1052 pg/ml at about 120 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; a mean plasma concentration from about 22 to about 970 pg/ml at about 144 hours after initiation of the dosing interval; and a mean plasma concentration from about 19 to about 841 pg/ml at about 168 hours after initiation of the dosing interval .