OBJECTIVES: Peripheral neuropathic pain (pNeP) refers to the pain associated with the condition of peripheral neuropathy. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is one type of pNeP, which is the most common complication of herpes zoster. This study aims to determine the effectiveness of pregabalin compared with gabapentin in pNeP and PHN in China.  METHODS: We utilized a 12-week simulation model which tracked a cohort of 1,000 patients with pNeP or PHN only, by pain score. A pre-treatment distribution of pain scores was collected utilizing a local questionnaire of Chinese KOLs for pNeP and PHN. Treatment outcomes for pregabalin (150 – 600 mg) and gabapentin (2,400 mg) were taken from the published literature. RESULTS: In the PHN scenario, pregabalin was associated with a lower average pain score compared with gabapentin (3.92 vs. 4.52). The difference in mean days of no or mild pain, moderate pain, and severe pain were 8.82, -5.74, and -3.06, when comparing pregabalin and gabapentin, respectively. Pregabalin had more mean days with a > 30% (7.71 days), 40% (8.97 days), and 50% reduction (9.97 days) in pain when compared with gabapentin.  In the pNep scenario, pregabalin was associated with a lower average pain score compared with gabapentin (3.91 vs. 4.55). The difference in mean days of no or mild pain, moderate pain, and severe pain were 9.39, -5.56, and -3.82, when comparing pregabalin and gabapentin, respectively. Pregabalin had more mean days with a > 30% (8.77 days), 40% (9.81 days), and 50% reduction (10.55 days) in pain when compared with gabapentin.  CONCLUSIONS: Pregabalin is an effective treatment for PHN and even for pNeP extensively. It leads to improved outcomes including lower pain scores and more days with no or mild pain.