[Pirprofen in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis]

The efficacy and tolerance of pirprofen and ketoprofen in rheumatoid arthritis were compared in a cooperative, double-blind, cross-over trial involving 124 patients. Pirprofen 600 mg/day and ketoprofen 300 mg/day were given one after the other in a random order for two consecutive weeks. One hundred and ten patients were evaluated. Both drugs were comparable in efficacy, as evaluated on 12 different clinical and biological criteria with a tendency toward superiority for pirprofen. Pirprofen was very well tolerated by 79% and ketoprofen by 72% of the patients. Most of the side effects encountered were digestive disorders. In patients who received no other concomitant treatment, pirprofen was better tolerated than ketoprofen. Side effects were noted in only 9% of the patients under pirprofen, as against 25% under ketoprofen.