ABSTRACT
Two investigators enrolled 26 women with metastatic breast carcinoma in a six-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of flurbiprofen (Ansaid, Upjohn) and placebo. The study was designed to determine the efficacy of flurbiprofen in reducing bone pain due to metastatic breast cancer. Pain score, overall performance, and concomitant use of narcotics were evaluated. The overall mean differences in pain scores between flurbiprofen and placebo showed better control of pain during treatment with flurbiprofen. None of these differences approached statistical significance. Evaluation of overall performance status reached statistical significance in one investigator's group. Three out of four patients reported decreased consumption of acetaminophen/aspirin plus codeine combinations while receiving flurbiprofen.
Subject(s)
Flurbiprofen/therapeutic use , Pain/drug therapy , Propionates/therapeutic use , Adult , Aged , Bone and Bones , Breast Neoplasms/drug therapy , Carcinoma/drug therapy , Clinical Trials as Topic , Double-Blind Method , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , PlacebosABSTRACT
Flurbiprofen (Ansaid, Upjohn), a potent new analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent, was compared with phenylbutazone in 90 patients with ankylosing spondylitis. In this double-blind, randomized, 26-week study, a total daily dose of 200 mg of flurbiprofen, administered three times daily, was as effective as 300 mg of phenylbutazone in controlling the pain and other symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis. In some patients, symptoms were adequately controlled by 150 mg of flurbiprofen per day, administered twice daily. There were no statistically significant differences between flurbiprofen and phenylbutazone in the investigators' and patients' assessments of improvement at all key follow-up periods. In addition, there were no consistently significant differences between drugs in the efficacy pain scales and quantitative measurements studied. Flurbiprofen was well tolerated in doses of up to 300 mg per day, and no clinically significant laboratory abnormalities were detected. Flurbiprofen appears to be an excellent alternative to phenylbutazone in the management of patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
