Pharmacological evaluation of mild analgesics.

1 The analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and ulcerogenic properties of the non-steroidal agents, acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, ibuprofen, propyphenazone and aminophenazone are compared. 2 The results show that ibuprofen has the most potent effect on all four parameters followed in descending order of potency by aminophenazone, propyphenazone, paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid. 3 The inflamed paw technique and the adjuvant arthritis model, both in the rat and involving pathological (chronic) pain, are the most successful methods of predicting analgesic activity in man. The short-lasting oedema caused by injecting naphthoylheparamine into the rat paw is the most useful method of predicting clinical anti-inflammatory activity.