Evaluation Of Efficacy And Safety Of Norspan In Moderate To Severe Pain Due To Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Joint/Muscle Pain

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Males and females aged 18-80 years (both inclusive) at the time of recruitment. 2. Clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lower back pain or joint / muscle pain. 3. Having non-malignant pain of moderate or severe intensity requiring an opioid for adequate analgesia (according to local label of Norspan® or Sovenor®). This is to be determined using BS-11 scores, where the cut-off point is ≥4. 4. Patients with chronic uncontrolled pain and is assessed to require opioid treatment but have not been treated with opioids (including tramadol, morphine etc.) within 4 weeks or more before study entry. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Pregnant and lactating females. 2. Patients with chronic condition(s), in addition to osteoarthritis, that require(s) frequent analgesic treatment (e.g. frequent headaches, frequent migraine, and gout). 3. Patients who are awaiting a scheduled operation or other surgical procedure during study period or 3 months or less post-operative. 4. Prior history of being on opioids in the preceding 1 month prior to the study for the management of chronic non-malignant pain. 5. Prior history of buprenorphine transdermal system use. 6. Patients with history of allergic reactions against paracetamol/ acetaminophen, NSAIDs and/or opioids. 7. Patients with allergies or other contraindications to transdermal systems or patch adhesives. 8. Patients with dermatological disorders who may have problems applying patch or rotating patch placement area. 9. Patients with cancer (except for basal cell carcinoma) or history of cancer who have been diagnosed within five years prior to the first study visit (except for treated basal cell carcinoma). 10. Patients with conditions such as brain tumour, brain injury or raised intracranial pressure. 11. Patients with history of psychiatric disorder, uncontrollable epilepsy, untreated depression or other psychiatric disorders of a type that would make participation in the study an unacceptable risk to the patient. 12. Patients with any conditions causing poor cognitive function as assessed by the participating physician. 13. Patients with history of alcohol and drug abuse or patients who have demonstrated behaviour that suggests a dependency or drug abuse. 14. Patients currently taking hypnotics or other central nervous system depressants that may pose a risk of additional central nervous system depression with study medication. 15. Patients who are currently being administered monoamin…