A comparison of choline magnesium trisalicylate and acetylsalicylic acid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Choline magnesium trisalicylate (3.0 g/day) and enteric-coated acetylsalicylic acid (3.0 g/day) have been compared in a double-blind, crossover study on 19 patients with rheumatoid arthritis using the double-dummy technique. Patients were allocated to receive 3-weeks' treatment with each trial drug in random sequence and were assessed at Weeks-1, 0, 3 and 6. Apart from an unexplained significant improvement in grip strength (p less than 0.01) that occurred in patients on choline magnesium trisalicylate when this followed aspirin but not when it preceded it, there was no significant clinical difference between treatments in any of the clinical parameters of improvement that were measured. There was also no clear difference in the side-effects profile produced by the two drugs, but the number of patients recruited to this study was small.
Clinical Pharmacology Unit, Royal Bath Hospital, Harrogate, England.
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Le Gallez
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Bird
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Wright
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002794:Choline / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012459:Salicylates / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D012459:Salicylates; C017959:choline magnesium trisalicylate; D002794:Choline; D001241:Aspirin