A comparative study of benoxaprofen and ketoprofen in ankylosing spondylitis

Benoxaprofen, 600 mg once daily, was compared with ketoprofen, 100 mg twice daily, in a double-blind parallel study of 23 patients with definite active ankylosing spondylitis. Results were assessed using the following measurements: day pain, night pain, and spinal stiffness. Spinal stiffness was determined by means of standard clinical tests. Patient's evaluation and physician's overall assessment at the end of therapy also were taken into account. Under these conditions, the therapeutic response for benoxaprofen was good/very good, 8; fair, 2; and no response, 2. For ketoprofen, the response as good/very good, 5; fair 3; and no response 3. This study shows that benoxaprofen provides very good therapeutic effectiveness in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. This is confirmed by the absence of any statistically significant difference between the results observed with benoxaprofen and with ketoprofen, a drug known to be of value in ankylosing spondylitis. The clinical and biologic tolerance of benoxaprofen in this study was quite satisfactory.