Affiliation:
1. St Mary's Health Centre Preston
2. Health Centre Renfrew
3. Ayr, General Practitioners
4. Boots Pharmaceuticals Nottingham
Abstract
SUMMARYThe efficacy and safety of a novel sustained‐release formulation of ibuprofen given once‐daily was compared with conventional‐release ibuprofen tablets 400 mg given four times daily, in a single‐blind, parallel‐group study. This study was conducted at 84 general practice centres throughout the UK among patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. An unequal randomisation in the ratio of 4:1 was carried out, with 463 patients who received sustained‐release and 115 who received conventional‐release ibuprofen providing evaluable data.In this study sustained‐release ibuprofen was shown to be a more effective alternative to conventional ibuprofen therapy for the treatment of arthritic diseases in general practice, offering the convenience of once‐daily dosing and the associated potential benefit of improved patient compliance.