[Therapeutic action of Piroxicam administered rectally in rheumatic diseases. Controlled double-blind study]

In a 15 day double-blind clinical trial 39 patients affected with rheumatic disease have been enrolled to evaluate the therapeutic effect of rectal administration of Piroxicam, in comparison with Indomethacin. At the end of the study, 20 patients had been treated with Piroxicam and 19 with Indomethacin. Nine patients in the Indomethacin group and one in the Piroxicam group dropped-out. Both drugs safety resulted good in the patients who completed the study, whereas 5 out of 10 dropped-out patients stopped the trial in consequence of severe side-effects of Indomethacin. Piroxicam induced a very good improvement in 76% of the patients, moderate in 19% and no improvement in 5%; Indomethacin induced a very good improvement in 75% of the patients, moderate in 15% and no improvement in 10%. No significative modifications resulted from the control of the laboratory blood tests. Piroxicam (30 mg/die) showed a therapeutic activity similar to Indomethacin (100 mg/die). The rectal administration of Piroxicam can be then considered a very good alternative to the oral one, particularly in the patients in which oral use of NSAID is counter-indicated.