COMPARISON OF THE EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF KETOPROFEN (ORUVAIL) 200 MG ONCE DAILY WITH INDOMETHACIN (INDOCID-R) 75 MG TWICE DAILY IN OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE AND HIP - A DOUBLE-BLIND, WITHIN-PATIENT, RANDOMIZED TRIAL

Forty-one patients (21 males, 20 females, average age 63 years) with osteo-arthritis were randomized into a cross-over trial to compare ketoprofen (Oruvail)* 200 mg once daily with indomethacin (Indocid R(R)) 75 mg twice daily. Patients received one week's placebo treatment, followed by three weeks' treatment with one of the two active drugs. After a further one week's wash-out treatment with placebo, patients received the other of the two active treatments. There was evidence of a period effect for all assessment parameters studied, but no evidence of a treatment difference, i.e. joint flexion, pain scores, sleep disturbance, joint stiffness and global assessments all improved during the study period, but this was not related to whether the patients had taken ketoprofen or indomethacin. Twenty-four of the 41 patients experienced one or more adverse reactions during the trial, 32 events occurring under treatment with indomethacin compared with 15 under treatment with ketoprofen.