Flurbiprofen in the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis

SummaryIn a 6-week double-blind controlled trial against indomethacin and placebo, flurbiprofen (150 mg. daily)proved effective in controlling symptoms in 20 patients with ankylosing spondylitis, improving spinal movement and easing pain. Nine of the patients were followed up for 3 to 3½ years. Four remained satisfactorily controlled on flurbiprofen without side-effects and 5 had been changed to other drugs, 4 for medical reasons. Flurbiprofen would appear to be a useful addition to the therapeutic armamentarium in ankylosing spondylitis although, like other propionic acid derivatives, it occasionally causes gnstro-intestinal side-effects.