Double-blind comparison of flurbiprofen and sulindac for the treatment of osteoarthritis.

In this double-blind, randomized trial involving 143 patients with osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee, the efficacy and safety of twice-daily dosing with flurbiprofen (Ansaid, Upjohn), which has a half-life of 5.5 hours, were compared with those of sulindac, which has a half-life of 7.8 hours. Patients were treated with flurbiprofen (50 mg orally twice a day) or sulindac (150 mg orally twice a day) for six weeks. Based on evaluations by both patients and physicians, there were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups in most of the efficacy parameters studied. In addition, there were no statistically significant differences between the two treatment groups in the incidence or type of side effects, which were primarily gastrointestinal in origin. This study indicates that flurbiprofen, taken as 50 mg twice daily, is equally as effective as 150 mg of sulindac twice a day in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Comparison of two dosing schedules of flurbiprofen for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Twice-daily versus four-times-a-day schedules.

A total daily dose of 200 mg of flurbiprofen (Ansaid, Upjohn) was administered either twice daily (100 mg BID) or four times daily (50 mg QID) to 143 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Results of this 12-week, randomized, double-blind study showed statistically significant reductions in the number of swollen joints, number of affected joints, duration of morning stiffness, and 50-foot walk time in patients receiving either treatment regimen. Using standard statistical tests, no significant differences between regimens were found. Flurbiprofen treatment was rated as "excellent" or "good" by approximately half of the patients and physicians following both BID or QID dosing.

Ibuprofen versus buffered phenylbutazone in the treatment of osteoarthritis: double-blind trial.

In a double-blind multiclinic trial, a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent (ibuprofen) was compared with an established therapeutic agent (phenylbutazone-alka) for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Of the 159 patients from the 17 contributing clinics, 144 completed the four weeks of therapy. More than 60 per cent of them reported improvement in exercise-related pain by week 4, and there was no significant difference between treatment groups. The patients' and the physicians' evaluations of the total state of disease, as well as range-of-motion and functional tests, demonstrated similar degrees of improvement in both treatment groups. The incidence of side effects was within acceptable limits, and the frequency distribution was similar in both groups. Of the 70 reported side effects, 29 were considered by the investigator (blind trial) to be drug-related-11 in association with ibuprofen and 18 with phenylbutazone-alka. Hematologic and blood chemical studies, as well as urine and stool examinations, yielded normal results with the exception of a reduced mean value for serum uric acid and a slightly elevated mean value for SGPT in the phenylbutazone-alka group.

Significance of infarct site and methylprednisolone on survival following acute myocardial infarction.

Eight hundred and forty-nine patients with confirmed myocardial infarction were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of the efficacy of methylprednisolone sodium succinate (MPSS, Solu-Medrol Sterile Powder, The Upjohn Company) for reduction of morbidity and mortality following an acute myocardial infarction complicated by left ventricular failure. Two study groups were prospectively defined based on time from onset of chest pain to administration of investigational therapy. Study Group 1 received investigational therapy before 6 hours had elapsed while Study Group 2 was treated 6 to 12 hours from the onset of chest pain. Both study groups were randomized to receive either a 30 mg/kg i.v. dose of MPSS (3 g maximum) or a matching placebo at the time of study admission, to be followed by an identical dose three hours later. Definitive electrocardiograms were available for 814 patients at admission. The mortality rates at 28 days and 6 months for the anterior transmural and nontransmural infarctions did not differ significantly with regard to time to treatment or investigational therapy. For the inferior/posterior transmural infarctions, however, there was a 92% relative reduction in mortality at 28 days in the MPSS treatment arm of Study Group 2 (1/83 [1.2%] for patients given MPSS versus 15/97 [15.5%] for those given placebo; p less than 0.001). This significant difference persisted at the 6 month follow-up evaluation (3/82 [3.6%] for patients on MPSS versus 17/96 [16.6%] for those on placebo, P less than 0.01). Site-specific efficacy has been reported for the anterior infarction groups of the major beta-blocker trials.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A long-term double-blind clinical trial of ibuprofen and indomethacin in rheumatoid arthritis.

Two-hundred and eighteen individuals with rheumatoid arthritis were randomly assigned to six months treatment with ibuprofen (900-1800 mg/day) or indomethacin (75-150 mg/day). The drugs were equally effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis while the incidence of indomethacin side-effects was 1.5 times greater than the incidence of ibuprofen side-effects.