Efficacy and tolerability of diclofenac dispersible in painful osteoarthrosis

Summary A multicentre, twelve-week, double-blind, randomized trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of diclofenac dispersible in patients suffering from osteoarthrosis of the knee and/or hip. Symptomatic adult patients (N=129) of either sex were treated with diclofenac dispersible or the conventional enteric-coated tablet of diclofenac sodium 50 mg orally, thrice daily. Both formulations of diclofenac led to comparable and clinically significant reductions in the intensities of pain at rest and during activity within 1 week of therapy initiation. More than 70% of patients in both treatment groups had no or mild pain on full passive movement by the end of the study with the Lequesne Index showing a reduction of around 50% from initial values. Overall assessments of efficacy by the patient and the investigator indicated a positive response rate for both diclofenac formulations ranging between 71% and 82%. The proportion of patients reporting adverse effects, predominantly gastro-intestinal, was slightly higher in the dispersible group, 40.3%, compared to 37.3% with enteric-coated diclofenac sodium.