A comparative study of azapropazone and ibuprofen in the treatment of osteoarthrosis of the knee.

A double-blind crossover study in 41 patients with knee joint osteoarthrosis was carried out to compare the efficacy of 1200 mg. azapropazone per day with 1600 mg. ibuprofen per day. After an initial week on placebo, patients received one or other of the active medications for 2 weeks, then a 1-week placebo wash-out period before being crossed over to the alternative drug for a further 2 weeks. Objective assessments were made of knee joint movement, and of knee joint and thigh circumference. Patients made daily assessments of pain and a final overall assessment of preference for one or other treatment period. The results showed that azapropazone produced a significant improvement (p less than 0.05) in knee joint mobility over placebo, both active drugs were more effective than placebo (p less than 0.05) in providing pain relief, but that there was no significant difference between the two in these parameters. There was a highly significant patient preference, however, for azapropazone (p less than 0.01) compared to ibuprofen treatment periods. The most commonly reported side-effect with both drugs was dyspepsia, but in no case was it sufficiently severe to necessitate stopping treatment.