COMPARISON OF ETODOLAC AND PIROXICAM IN PATIENTS WITH OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE HIP OR KNEE - A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND, CONTROLLED MULTICENTER STUDY

The efficacy and safety of etodolac and piroxicam were compared in pat ients with osteoarthritis of the hip (n = 111) or knee (n = 160). Spec ial emphasis was placed on clinical gastrointestinal adverse effects. 271 patients participated in this 8-week prospective, multicentre, ran domised, double-blind trial. Efficacy was measured by patient's and in vestigator's assessment of key parameters after 4 and 8 weeks of treat ment compared with baseline. Tolerability was evaluated by patients' c omplaints at each visit (adverse events) and laboratory tests performe d before and at the end of treatment. After 4 and 8 weeks of treatment and at the end of treatment, patients' and investigators' assessments were significantly improved from baseline in both groups. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in any eff icacy assessment at any observation. In the etodolac group 30% reporte d adverse events, compared with 46% in the piroxicam group (p < 0.01). In the study, 20% in the etodolac group and 29% in the piroxicam grou p reported gastrointestinal adverse events (not significant). Clinical ly significant falls in haemoglobin occurred in 22% of patients with n o significant difference between the 2 groups. In conclusion, the stud y indicated that etodolac 600mg per day was as effective as piroxicam 20mg per day in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Etodolac produced adv erse events in a significantly smaller number of patients than piroxic am. No significant differences were found between etodolac and piroxic am with respect to incidence of clinical gastrointestinal adverse even ts.