Naftidrofuryl in chronic arterial disease. Results of a controlled multicenter study

In a double blind, randomized multicenter study naftidrofuryl, a vasoactive substance, was compared with placebo in the treatment of 104 patients with chronic arterial occlusive disease. After a run-in period of four weeks the patients received either naftidrofuryl (600 mg daily) or placebo over 12 weeks. The pain-free and the total walking distances improved significantly in both groups. However, the difference in the improvement of the pain-free walking distance was significant (p less than 0.02) in favour of naftidrofuryl. There also was a difference in the improvement of the total walking distance in favour of naftidrofuryl which was not significant. The results indicate that naftidrofuryl has a beneficial effect on the symptoms and lengthens the painfree walking distance in patients with arterial occlusive disease.