An Interim Report on an Open Multicentre Long-Term Study of Ketoprofen (Orudis®) in Rheumatic Diseases
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Abstract |
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Eighty-two patients with rheumatic diseases are participating in a long-term study with ketoprofen (Orudis). Up to now 20 patients have been treated for less than 3 months, 29 patients have been treated for more than 3 months, 14 for more than 6 months, 15 patients for more than 9 months, and 4 patients for more than one year.
The clinical effect has been assessed as satisfactory to all but 4% of the patients at 3 months, to all but 11% at 6 months and to all but 11% after 9 months' treatment.
The ketoprofen dose has generally been 50 mg three times daily. The standard dose has been reduced or increased in only 15% of the patients. Nine patients were withdrawn owing to lack of effect, 2 owing to side-effects and lack of effect, and 8 owing to side-effects. The administered dose in the patients who were withdrawn has been one capsule (50 mg) three times daily. As tolerance has been good in the patients with lack of effect, the dose should have been increased to an optimal therapeutic level.
Mild or transient side-effects have been recorded in 13% of the patients, and in no case were they of a serious nature. In 2 patients there seemed to be some slight variation in the Thrombo Test/Normo Test values, but in the one case it was transient or related to errors in the test methodology. No other significant changes in laboratory values have been disclosed which could be related to the prolonged administration of ketoprofen.