A Double-Blind Comparison between Diclofenac Sodium and Ibuprofen in Osteoarthritis

A new anti-inflammatory agent, diclofenac sodium (Voltaren), has been compared by means of a double-blind cross-over with ibuprofen in the treatment of osteoarthrosis. Twenty hospitalized adult patients (10 men and 10 women) were treated for six weeks (two weeks with each drug and two weeks drug-free wash-out period between the single treatments) with average daily doses of 130 mg (150 mg during the second week) diclofenac sodium and 1407 mg (1593 mg during the second week) ibuprofen. The results obtained in this trial indicate that in some important clinical and laboratory measurements diclofenac sodium presents a significant superiority over ibuprofen, with regard both to efficacy and tolerability. During treatment with diclofenac sodium no significant changes in laboratory data were seen thus confirming the tolerability of the drug.