Comparative evaluation of carprofen and indomethacin in rheumatoid patients.

Thirty-six patients with definite or classical rheumatoid arthritis were studied in a 6-week double-blind parallel trial. They were randomly divided into three groups and received either carprofen stepwise 150, 200, and 250 mg/day, carprofen 350, 400, and 450 mg/day or indomethacin 100 mg/day. Classical methods and parameters for evaluating the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis were used. A large panel of laboratory tests were also involved in the assessment of toxicity. Although the incidence of adverse effects was similar for both drugs, cutaneous and gastrointestinal symptoms were more frequent with carprofen than with indomethacin, whereas central nervous system reactions were elicited more often with the latter drugs. For most of the efficacy variables studied, the carprofen high dosage regimen at weeks 5 and 6 was shown statistically superior or at least not different from the indomethacin group; both of these were superior to the carprofen low dosage regimen.