Orally administered zomepirac and parenterally administered morphine. Comparison for the treatment of postoperative pain.

A double-blind study comparing the analgesic efficacy of orally administered zomepirac sodium with intramuscularly (IM) administered morphine sulfate was conducted in 109 patients with acute postoperative pain. Single treatments were administered within 48 hours of surgery, and subjective responses were obtained from patients by specially employed trained nurses. Pain relief achieved with both doses of orally administered zomepirac sodium at 100 mg and 200 mg was similar, and analgesia with each dose of zomepirac was significantly better than that obtained with IM administered morphine sulfate at 8 mg. There were no unusual side effects with either drug.