Clinical comparison of ibuprofen, fenoprofen calcium, naproxen and tolmetin sodium in rheumatoid arthritis.
After baseline aspirin therapy, 89 rheumatoid arthritis patients completed a double-blind, crossover trial comparing ibuprofen, fenoprofen, naproxen, and tolmetin. Initially, patients took the manufacturer's recommended starting dose; this could be increased by 50% within the first 2 weeks of therapy. Patients remained at the chosen dose for 4 weeks and then changed to the next drug. All 4 drugs were tolerated better than aspirin (p less than 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences among the 4 drugs for any efficacy measurements. However, patients' and physicians' rankings showed the same order of preferences: naproxen, ibuprofen, fenoprofen, tolmetin, and aspirin.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005279:Fenoprofen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007052:Ibuprofen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009288:Naproxen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014046:Tolmetin / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D009288:Naproxen; D014046:Tolmetin; D001241:Aspirin; D005279:Fenoprofen; D007052:Ibuprofen