Patient-reported outcomes of therapy with two brands of ibuprofen

To investigate patients' reported outcome following medication with two brands of 400 mg ibuprofen used to alleviate musculoskeletal pains.

Adult peasant manual laborers (85) who met criteria were randomly assigned to receive either of the brands (A or B). Data on pain alleviation were gathered using the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Present Pain Intensity (PPI), and Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGII) scales. Interval data obtained from the two brands were compared using the Students' t-test at 95% confidence interval.

There were 42 participants, mean age=29.2 (SD=1.37) assigned to brand A and 43 (mean age=28.8 SD=1.14) in brand B of ibuprofen 400 mg. Brand B was consistently rated higher than brand A. Scores for medication efficacy were 10.4 (SD=1.65) (brand A) and 11.4 (SD=1.68) (brand B); t=2.768, P=0.007. Alleviation of pain symptoms: 10.8 (SD=1.64) and 11.6 (SD=1.72); t = 2.194, P=0.031. Similarly, rated scores on the impact of pain on quality of life were 10.5 (SD=2.00) and 12.1 (SD=1.85); t=3.830, P<0.001. There was a reduction in Present Pain Intensity scores by 32.7% and 34.3% for Brand A and brand B participants respectively. The decrease in Visual Analog pain scale score was 35.9% and 37.3% for brand A and brand B participants respectively. The decrease in SF-MPQ was by 85.1% and 69.9% for the brand A and brand B groups respectively. The clinical global impression of improvement for both groups of patients indicated an improvement rate of 71.4% and 61.9% for brand A and 81.4% and 74.4% for brand B participants.

This clinical study infers that though the two brands of ibuprofen 400 mg are legally pharmaceutical equivalent, they are not clinically equivalent. In most of the parameters evaluated, brand B was rated more efficacious than brand A. This explains the patients' preferences and demand for this brand of ibuprofen in the Nigerian community.