Maintenance therapy of rheumatoid arthritis and of osteoarthrosis with proglumetacin.

Maintenance therapy with proglumetacin was studied in an open investigation in 25 patients with classical or definite rheumatoid arthritis and in 34 patients with osteoarthrosis. Proglumetacin (150 mg) was administered twice daily, at meals, and therapy was continued without interruption for 12 months. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis showed a progressive improvement in objective parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, haemoglobin) and in semi-objective parameters (pain, articular tenderness, number of painful joints, morning stiffness, grip strength, Ritchie articular index). Patients with osteoarthrosis also showed a progressive improvement in objective parameters (movement angles of the affected joints) and in subjective parameters (pain, mobility, response to therapy). During the study, 4 patients reported occasional nausea (3 with vomiting), and 3 reported episodes of slight headache. These symptoms did not require interruption of treatment. Haematology, blood chemistry and urinalysis were not adversely affected by the treatment. Five drop-outs were recorded in the rheumatoid arthritis group: 2 because patients failed to report, 2 because of severe relapses which required a radical change in the therapeutic programme and 1 for incorrect enrollment. Fourteen drop-outs were recorded in the osteoarthrosis group: 6 because the patients failed to report, 4 because of orthopaedic surgery and 4 because it was necessary to change the therapeutic programme. No drop-out was due to an intolerance to proglumetacin. It is concluded that proglumetacin appears to have the effectiveness of tolerability features required for a first-choice medicament for long-term maintenance treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis or with osteoarthrosis.