Rethinking Efficacy in Acute Pain: Why Speed of Onset Matters

In acute pain, efficacy is often discussed in terms of dose or average pain scores measured over several hours. However, a substantial body of clinical evidence shows that speed of onset and early pain relief are among the strongest predictors of perceived effectiveness, patient confidence, and repeat use.

Meta-analyses and responder-based evaluations consistently demonstrate that ibuprofen formulations achieving faster absorption and earlier relief deliver superior outcomes in the first hour, even when total exposure and overall efficacy over 4–6 hours are comparable.

This short paper reviews the published clinical literature on early pain relief, responder analysis, and formulation-driven onset differences, and considers the implications for how efficacy is measured, communicated, and optimized in acute pain.