Long Term Study of Naproxen Challenged by a Short-Term Double Blind Cross-Over Study with Placebo in Rheumatoid Patients

Abstract

Naproxen is an effective anti-rheumatic agent, for the long-term control of active rheumatoid arthritis, as demonstrated by the experience of 28 patients. Subjecting 19 of these 28 patients to a double-blind crossover placebo pulse experiment revealed, by clinical observation and statistical analysis of collected data, that after more than 2 years of continuous daily administration naproxen exhibited a high degree of therapeutic activity. The tolerance of naproxen by this study population was good. Side effects or complaints, when reported, were mild and transient in nature. Close monitoring of a range of biochemical values by sequential laboratory studies has not revealed many adverse effects.