Butacote and ibuprofen: a comparative assessment in rheumatic diseases in general practice

A multicentre double-blind trial in general practice compared Butacote (enteric-coated phenylbutazone) 300 mg daily, ibuprofen 1200 mg daily, and a placebo in the treatment of rheumatic conditions. Each patient recieved two of the three treatments for one month each. Twenty-nine doctors admitted 193 patients. One hundred and sixty-eight patients (sixty-four with inflammatory polyarthritis, and sixty-three with osteoarthrosis) completed the study, which showed that Butacote was significantly better than both ibuprofen and placebo for the relief of pain and morning stiffness, and improvement of function. Butacote was significantly preferred to both ibuprofen and placebo by patients and doctors, to placebo by the patients. Ibuprofen was significantly better than placebo for relief of morning stiffness and for reducing the amount of supplementary analgesics. All three preparations were well tolerated and showed a similar incidence of gastric side-effects. It is concluded from this study that Butacote is more effective and as well tolerated as ibuprofen in the treatment of rheumatic conditions in general practice.