Indoprofen versus ibuprofen in osteoarthrosis: a short-term, double-blind, crossover trial

A double-blind, crossover, short-term clinical trial was carried out in osteoarthrosis to compare the activity of two non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Twenty-four patients were given orally, in sequence, 600 mg indoprofen daily and 1200 mg ibuprofen daily, or vice-versa, for 1 week with no interval between treatment periods. Pain, quality of sleep, and overall effectiveness were recorded at the end of each week by inviting patients to express a score on a simple rating scale. Finally, patients were asked to express a preference for one treatment or the other. Significant improvement was observed in all parameters following treatment with both drugs. The distribution of score differences between indoprofen and ibuprofen was in favour of the former in all measurements; statistical analysis, however, demonstrated a significant superiority of indoprofen only for pain elicited by passive motion. The patients' preferences were also in favour of indoprofen, though not attaining statistical significance. Indoprofen was well tolerated, and no side-effects were observed. While on treatment with ibuprofen, 1 patient had to be withdrawn from the study because of gastric intolerance and 2 further patients had transient skin rashes.