Indomethacin--aspirin interaction: a clinical appraisal

Plasma profiles of indomethacin after a 50-mg oral dose were constructed in six healthy volunteers before and after a week of aspirin treatment. Aspirin did not interfere with indomethacin plasma levels. To examine the clinical effect of concurrent indomethacin and aspirin treatment 20 patients with seropositive rheumatoid arthritis were given indomethacin 100 mg/day, aspirin soluble 4 g/day, and the two drugs taken together in random order. Analysis of the clinical indices of inflammation--articular index and mean pain score--and of the efficacy of each treatment showed no significant differences between the three treatment groups. With the proliferation in the number of anti-rheumatic drugs available, the case for giving two or more nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs concurrently remains unproved.