Numerous clinical trials have shown
etodolac to be an effective
analgesic. The purpose of the present report is to review results of 14 studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of
etodolac in a variety of painful conditions. Presented are the results of four
postsurgical pain studies, one study of acute
gouty arthritis and nine studies of acute musculoskeletal disorders: acute
low back pain, acute painful shoulder,
tendinitis and
bursitis, and acute
sports injuries. A single oral dose of
etodolac (25, 50, 100, 200, or 400 mg) was compared with
aspirin (650 mg) or a combination of
acetaminophen (600 mg) plus
codeine (60 mg) for the relief of
pain up to 12 h following oral, urogenital or
orthopedic surgery. In multiple dose studies of acute
gouty arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions,
etodolac 200 or 300 mg twice a day (b.i.d.) or 200 mg three times a day (t.i.d.) was compared with
naproxen 500 mg b.i.d. or t.i.d.,
diclofenac 50 mg b.i.d. or t.i.d., and
piroxicam 20 or 40 mg once a day (o.d.) administered over 5 to 14 days. The efficacy of
etodolac was at least equal and in some ways superior to
aspirin and
acetaminophen plus
codeine in the relief of
postsurgical pain. In studies of acute
gouty arthritis, significant improvement from baseline were seen for all efficacy parameters evaluated for both the
etodolac- and
naproxen-treated patients. All the present studies of musculoskeletal conditions have shown
etodolac to be effective and comparable in
analgesic efficacy to
naproxen,
diclofenac or
piroxicam. In summary,
etodolac therapy for
pain following surgery, in acute
gouty arthritis and in acute musculoskeletal conditions resulted in
analgesia comparable to that provided by several well-established
analgesic or
anti-inflammatory agents.