Treatment of Osteoarthrosis of the Spine: A Comparison of Flurbiprofen and Diclofenac

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Abstract
Forty patients with osteoarthrosis of the spine were entered in a 9-week randomized double-blind crossover trial to compare the efficacy, safety and tolerance of a twice daily regime of flurbiprofen 100 mg with diclofenac 50 mg also given twice daily. There were nineteen patients on the sequence flurbiprofen/diclofenac and twenty-one patients on the reverse sequence, diclofenac/flurbiprofen. Statistically significant improvements were reported for both treatments during the study with respect to pain at rest, pain in the upright position and pain at night and also for the amount of forward flexion, flexion to the right and flexion to the left. Both treatments were equally effective with respect to the degree of improvement shown for these parameters. While the majority of patients on each treatment were considered to be better or even much better, there were no differences between the two drugs with respect to either the physician's or the patient's judgement of patient's progress or with respect to the patient's treatment preference. No important changes in the laboratory data were noted with values remaining within the normal limits. Both drugs were well tolerated with only a few transient side-effects, mostly gastro-intestinal in nature, being reported. On the basis of this trial, flurbiprofen, administered on a twice daily basis, and diclofenac, also given twice daily, have equal therapeutic effects in the treatment of patients with osteoarthrosis of the spine. This study demonstrates the acceptability and efficacy of a twice daily regime of flurbiprofen 100 mg in osteoarthrosis of the spine.