Studies on efficacy and safety of etoricoxib treatment for osteoarthritis(OA)

Objective To observe the effect and safety of etoricoxib in treating osteoarthritis.Methods Osteoarthritis patients were randomised to receive either etoricoxib 60 mg once daily(n=30) or diclofenac 50 mg three times daily(n=30) for 6 weeks,Analgesia score were measured by the method of visual analogue scale(VAS)at 4 hour,3 weeks and 6 weeks after receiving either diclofenac or etoricoxib,and the side effect of the drugs was observed.Results VAS scores of etoricoxib group were lower at 4 hours than that of the control group(P0.01),but no differences of VAS score were found before treatment、3 weeks and 6 weeks after treatment between the two groups(P0.05).The general incidences of adverse reactions were not different in the two groups(P0.05).but the incidences of gastrointestinal disorders were lower in etoricoxib group than those of the control group(P0.05).Conclusion Etoricoxib 60 mg once daily is clinically effective in the therapy of osteoarthritis providing a magnitude of effect comparable to that of diclofenac 50 mg three times daily.The onset of clinical benefit with etoricoxib is more rapid than that of diclofenac,and etoricoxib can be tolerated better than diclofenac.