Pirprofen and aspirin in rheumatoid arthritis: a double-blind comparison study

A six-month, double-blind study was conducted to compare pirprofen (Rengasil), 800 mg per day, to aspirin, 3.6 Gm per day, in patients with active, definite, or classical rheumatoid arthritis. Data from 33 patients, 17 in the pirprofen group and 16 in the aspirin group, were analyzed for efficacy while data from 37 patients were analyzed for safety. In the pirprofen group, four of seven variables analyzed were significantly improved over baseline at the terminal visit; no statistically significant improvement was seen at the terminal visit in the aspirin group, although statistically significant improvement was achieved at a number of interim visits. Between-treatment comparisons indicated that pirprofen was statistically superior to aspirin with respect to the number of swollen joints at the terminal visit and average grip strength after six weeks of treatment. There were no serious signs of toxicity in either treatment group.