LOCAL NSAID GEL (ELTENAC) IN THE TREATMENT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THE KNEE - A DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY COMPARING ELTENAC WITH ORAL DICLOFENAC AND PLACEBO GEL

In a randomized, double blind, multicentre study with 4 weeks follow-u p of 290 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee joint, a topical NSA ID (eltenac) was compared with oral diclofenac and placebo. The main o utcome, Lequesne's Index and pain by VAS showed no statistically signi ficant differences between neither of the active treatments and placeb o for the total study population. However, in patients with more sever e symptoms, both active groups showed statistically significant differ ences to placebo. No severe adverse drug reactions were seen but the n umber of GI reactions were three times higher in the diclofenac group compared to the topical treatment. Local skin reactions were twice as frequent in the eltenac than in the placebo group. Taking into account the nature of the treatment for a chronic disease like OA, our result s indicate that eltenac gel could be a safe alternative to oral NSAIDs .