On February 25, 2026, Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. (Hikma) announced the launch of tapentadol immediate release (IR) tablets, a brand alternative to Collegium’s opioid pain reliever Nucynta®. Tapentadol IR is used for severe acute pain when other treatment options are inadequate.
According to Hikma, the healthcare data and analytics source IQVIA® estimates that Nucynta® had approximately $157 million in sales over a recent 12-month period ending late 2025. Hikma’s tapentadol IR tablets in 50mg, 75mg, and 100mg strengths have an Average Wholesale Price (AWP) approximately 5% less than Collegium’s Nuycnta.
Drug information sources, Medi-Span® and Clinical Pharmacology®, list other active tapentadol IR tablets from registrant Humanwell Pharmaceutical US Inc. distributed by Epic Pharma LLC. Humanwell’s tapentadol IR tablets in 50mg, 75mg, and 100mg strengths have an AWP approximately 16% lower than Collegium’s Nuycnta.
The FDA Orange Book lists abbreviated new drug application numbers (ANDAs) for both Hikma and Humanwell tapentadol IR tablets with an AB rating to reference listed drug, Nucynta.
Sources:
Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC. Hikma launches authorized generic of Nucynta® (tapentadol) in the US. February 25, 2026. https://www.hikma.com/news/hikma-launches-authorised-generic-of-nucynta-tapentadol-in-the-us / Accessed March 1, 2026
Tapentadol hydrochloride tablets [package insert]. Bethesda, MD: National Library of Medicine (US); DailyMed. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=fecd2104-5bf3-47ed-a6f0-5c6ebb0a17b4 Accessed March 1, 2026
Tapentadol (immediate release). Medi Span® Master Drug Data Base (MDDB) [database]. Wolters Kluwer. Accessed March 1, 2026. Tapentadol. Clinical Pharmacology® [database]. Elsevier. Accessed March 1, 2026.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations (Orange Book). Drug Product Search: tapentadol. https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/ob/search_product.cfm Accessed March 1, 2026.