A Double-Blind Cross-Over Evaluation of Ketoprofen (Orudis) and Ibuprofen in the Management of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

In a multi-centre double-blind cross-over trial using the double-placebo technique, 55 patients with rheumatoid arthritis were treated for 10 days for each trial drug with ketoprofen (200 mg/day) and ibuprofen (1200 mg/day). Both drugs induced a clinically and statistically significant improvement of all the symptoms studied, except for pain at night during ibuprofen administration. Ketoprofen displayed a therapeutic efficacy significantly superior to ibuprofen in five of the eight symptoms studied. Side-effects were recorded in 10 patients receiving ketoprofen (one patient withdrew because of heartburn) and in nine patients receiving ibuprofen.

Comparison of Efficacy of Ketoprofen and Ibuprofen in Treating Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Of the 15 full-text articles analyzed, four articles were assessed for eligibility. The meta-analyses were therefore based on the four remaining articles [22][23][24][25], all comparing ketoprofen and ibuprofen treatment in patients with RA. Figure 2 shows a flowchart of the selection process.…”

“…Table 2 shows the characteristics of the four RCTs included in the meta-analysis. They involved a total of 456 patients (229 treated with ketoprofen and 227 treated with ibuprofen), and three had a cross-over design [22,23,25].…”

“…They all had classic or definite RA as defined by the American Rheumatism Association and were indicated for treatment. The patients in three of the trials [22][23][24] were untreated with corticosteroids or immunosuppressive drugs for periods ranging from 1 day to 3 months. Simple analgesics were Fig.…”

“…All of the studies considered changes in pain as evaluated by VAS or point scores. Two studies of 142 patients treated with ketoprofen and 140 treated with ibuprofen [24,25] included duration of stiffness scores, and two studies of 86 patients treated with ketoprofen and 84 treated with ibuprofen [22,23] included grip strength scores.…”

“…Adverse events and withdrawal rates were available for three studies with 139 patients treated with ketoprofen and 137 treated with ibuprofen [22][23][24]. All four RCTs [22][23][24][25] had a Jadad quality scores of C 3.…”