Long-term treatment with ketoprofen in rheumatoid arthritis. A clinical trial with special reference to side-effects.

The tolerance of ketoprofen (2-(3-benzoylphenyl)-propionic acid) was studied in sixteen patients with rheumatoid arthritis during a treatment period up to seven months. The drug was well tolerated with only a few minor side-effects and showed a clear anti-rheumatie effect with a dose of 150 mg/day. This effect may equal that of 4.0 g/day of acetylsalicylic acid or even exceed that, and may be somewhat smaller than that of 600 mg/day of phenylbutazone.