Naproxen in rheumatoid arthritis. A controlled trial

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Clinical Pharmacology

Background:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease requiring effective long-term management.
• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used for symptom control in RA.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of naproxen compared to aspirin in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
• To assess both objective and subjective measures of disease activity and patient-reported outcomes.

Main Methods:

• A double-blind, randomized clinical trial involving 80 rheumatoid arthritis patients across seven centers.
• Patients received either naproxen or aspirin for 16 weeks after a drug-free period to establish baseline disease activity.
• Concomitant low-dose corticosteroids or gold salts were permitted for some patients.

Main Results:

• Both naproxen and aspirin significantly reduced disease activity based on multiple assessment methods.
• Objective measures indicated naproxen was as effective as aspirin, despite patients in the naproxen group having more severe initial disease.
• Subjective patient evaluations suggested naproxen might be more effective.
• Naproxen showed a trend towards fewer gastrointestinal side effects and less VIIIth nerve toxicity, though not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

• Naproxen is a viable and effective treatment option for managing rheumatoid arthritis.
• The drug demonstrates comparable objective efficacy to aspirin with a potentially better subjective tolerability profile.
• Naproxen represents a useful addition to the therapeutic options available for rheumatoid arthritis treatment.