Efficacy, safety and tolerability of lumiracoxib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

A randomised, double-blind study was performed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of lumiracoxib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients received lumiracoxib 200 mg once daily (o.d.) (n = 280), lumiracoxib 400 mg o.d. (n = 28 1), naproxen 500 mg twice daily (n = 279) or placebo (n = 284) for 26 weeks. The primary efficacy variable was response to treatment according to ACR20 criteria (adjusted for prohibited concomitant or excessive rescue medication use and discontinuations due to unsatisfactory therapeutic response) at week 13. Safety and tolerability was also assessed. Significantly more patients receiving lumiracoxib than placebo were responders according to ACR20 criteria at week 13 (41.1 and 42.7% for lumiracoxib 200 and 400 mg o.d., respectively; 32.4% for placebo; both p < 0.05). The proportion responding to naproxen (39.1%) was not significantly different from placebo. Prespecified gastrointestinal adverse events were more frequent with naproxen than with either lumiracoxib dose or placebo. Lumiracoxib is therefore an effective and well-tolerated therapy for RA.