Efficacy and tolerability of etodolac in the treatment of osteoarthritis

Abstract

An open clinical trial was carried out in 57 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip or spine to assess the effectiveness and tolerability of etodolac. Patients received 200 mg etodolac twice daily for a period of 2 weeks. The results of clinical and patient assessments made at baseline and at the end of the study period showed that there was significant improvement in pain at rest and on active and passive movement, local tenderness, pain on climbing stairs, joint swelling and functional status. No significant changes were seen in clinical severity of the condition or, in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, in the degree of knee flexion. Patients judged the therapeutic results to be good or excellent more often than the investigator (75% vs 50%). Tolerability of etodolac was very good with few, generally mild side-effects and only 2 patients were withdrawn, more as a precautionary measure than of necessity.

A Comparative Study of the Efficacy and Toxicity of Etodolac and Naproxen in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis

“…In standard animal models, etodolac has demonstrated a therapeutic index (antiinflammatory effects to gastric irritation) that is superior to that of indomethacin, phenylbutazone and naproxen 8 . In humans, etodolac has been shown to improve the symptoms of postsurgical pain, 9 , 10 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 11–14 and OA 15–21 . Previous studies have shown that etodolac compares favourably with other NSAIDs commonly used in the treatment of OA 17–21 and RA 12 and that it appears to have a satisfactory safety profile 13–15 , 22–24 .…”