Efficacy and tolerance of naproxen versus pirprofen in the treatment of patients with osteoarthritis.

A double-blind, double-dummy study design was used to compare the efficacy and tolerance of naproxen with that of pirprofen in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Sixty patients were assigned randomly to receive either 500 mg naproxen twice daily or 400 mg pirprofen twice daily for 4 weeks. Both groups were similar in all respects except age, which was significantly greater in the naproxen-treated patients than in the pirprofen-treated patients. Both treatments yielded statistically significant improvement in duration of stiffness after inactivity, global pain, pain on full passive movement, pain during a selected activity, and physicians' and patients' assessments of overall arthritic condition. There were no significant differences between the two groups in either the incidence or the severity of adverse effects of the drugs, most of which involved gastro-intestinal disturbances. Both medications were shown to be well tolerated, acceptable, and effective for treating osteoarthritis.