Maintenance
therapy with
proglumetacin was studied in an open investigation in 25 patients with classical or definite
rheumatoid arthritis and in 34 patients with
osteoarthrosis.
Proglumetacin (150 mg) was administered twice daily, at meals, and
therapy was continued without interruption for 12 months. Patients with
rheumatoid arthritis showed a progressive improvement in objective parameters (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, haemoglobin) and in semi-objective parameters (
pain, articular tenderness, number of painful joints, morning stiffness, grip strength, Ritchie articular index). Patients with
osteoarthrosis also showed a progressive improvement in objective parameters (movement angles of the affected joints) and in subjective parameters (
pain, mobility, response to
therapy). During the study, 4 patients reported occasional
nausea (3 with
vomiting), and 3 reported episodes of slight
headache. These symptoms did not require interruption of treatment. Haematology, blood chemistry and urinalysis were not adversely affected by the treatment. Five drop-outs were recorded in the
rheumatoid arthritis group: 2 because patients failed to report, 2 because of severe relapses which required a radical change in the therapeutic programme and 1 for incorrect enrollment. Fourteen drop-outs were recorded in the
osteoarthrosis group: 6 because the patients failed to report, 4 because of orthopaedic surgery and 4 because it was necessary to change the therapeutic programme. No drop-out was due to an intolerance to
proglumetacin. It is concluded that
proglumetacin appears to have the effectiveness of tolerability features required for a first-choice medicament for long-term maintenance treatment of patients with
rheumatoid arthritis or with
osteoarthrosis.