Efficacy and tolerance of flurbiprofen in the elderly using liquid and tablet formulations

An open study was carried out in 40 elderly patients suffering from osteoarthrosis of the hip to assess the effectiveness of 200 mg flurbiprofen daily, fiven either in tablet or liquid suspension form, over a period of 4 weeks. Statistical evaluation of the results in the 19 patients admitted to analysis showed that flurbiprofen produced significant improvement in daytime and overnight pain, and did not impair their mental status, as assessed on a modified Goldfarb scale. No significant differences were found between the response of the two groups, except for severity of night pain. Fourteen of the 19 patients included in the analysis reported side-effects, as did 18 of the 21 patients who were excluded. Only 7 patients (4 on tablets, 3 on liquid), however, were withdrawn from the trial for this reason.