Fenoprofen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving maintenance gold therapy.

Thirty patients with active definite or classic rheumatoid arthritis (RA), participated in a double-blind crossover study comparing fenoprofen calcium with placebo. All patients were receiving maintenance gold therapy. Fenoprofen was administered in doses ranging from 200 to 800 mg every six hours. The median daily dose was 1.8 gm. During this 16-week trial, most parameters of efficacy showed fenoprofen to be significantly more effective than placebo. Adverse reactions, which were minimal, suggest that fenoprofen will be useful in the management of patients with RA, particularly in those with gastrointestinal intolerance to the usually employed drugs. The longterm effectiveness in RA, and the side effects associated with chronic administration remain to be assessed.