Efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose combination of nimesulide/pantoprazole compared to naproxen/esomeprazole for pain relief in patients with osteoarticular diseases and dyspeptic symptoms.

PURPOSE: This study investigated the safety and efficacy of fixed-dose combination tablets of naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium and nimesulide/pantoprazole to determine if both regimens are equally suited to relieve pain in patients with osteoarticular diseases and dyspeptic symptoms. METHODS: Patients were randomly assigned to receive either nimesulide/pantoprazole (100 mg/20 mg) twice daily or naproxen/esomeprazole magnesium (500 mg/20 mg) twice daily for 14 days. The primary endpoint was defined as the mean change in modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain subscale. Secondary endpoints were mean visual analog scale score of dyspeptic symptoms (nausea, abdominal discomfort/pain, epigastric burning, postprandial fullness), mean visual analog scale score of individual dyspeptic symptoms, and individual score of dyspeptic symptoms according to patient diary. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01670552. RESULTS: A total of 490 patients were enrolled and randomized, and 399 completed treatment (naproxen/esomeprazole, n=201; nimesulide/pantoprazole, n=198). The difference in mean change in the modified Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index pain score after 7 days of treatment between the two treatment groups was 2.33 mm (95% CI, -1.22 to 5.89 mm). After 14 days of therapy, the difference was 0.45 mm (95% CI, -3.29 to 4.19 mm). The most common adverse events in the pooled group were abdominal discomfort, abdominal distention, dyspepsia, and nausea, but none of these was deemed to be clinically meaningful. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated noninferiority of a 14-day regimen with a fixed-dose combination of nimesulide/pantoprazole compared to naproxen/esomeprazole for the treatment of osteoarticular pain.

Double-blind, randomized, double-dummy clinical trial comparing the efficacy of ketorolac trometamol and naproxen for acute low back pain.

BACKGROUND: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the most common type of medication used in the treatment of acute pain. Ketorolac trometamol (KT) is a nonnarcotic, peripherally acting nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic effects comparable to certain opioids. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of KT and naproxen (NA) in the treatment of acute low back pain (LBP) of moderate-to-severe intensity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this 10-day, Phase III, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, noninferiority trial, participants with acute LBP of moderate-to-severe intensity as determined through a visual analog scale (VAS) were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive sublingual KT 10 mg three times daily or oral NA 250 mg three times daily. From the second to the fifth day of treatment, if patient had VAS >40 mm, increased dosage to four times per day was allowed. The primary end point was the reduction in LBP as measured by VAS. We also performed a post hoc superiority analysis. RESULTS: KT was not inferior to NA for the reduction in LBP over 5 days of use as measured by VAS scores (P=0.608 for equality of variance; P=0.321 for equality of means) and by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (P=0.180 for equality of variance test; P=0.446 for equality of means) using 95% confidence intervals. The percentage of participants with improved pain relief 60 minutes after receiving the first dose was higher in the KT group (24.2%) than in the NA group (6.5%; P=0.049). The most common adverse effects were heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. CONCLUSION: KT is not inferior in efficacy and delivers faster pain relief than NA.