Current osteoarthritis therapies aim to alleviate pain and maintain joint function. Non-prescription oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are frequently used alone for pain relief in osteoarthritis. This post-hoc pooled analysis evaluated the analgesic efficacy and safety of two non-prescription doses of naproxen sodium for short-term use in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee or hip. A separate sub-group analysis of older patients who were administered a lower dose of naproxen sodium was performed.
In four multi-center, multi-dose, randomized, parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, oral naproxen sodium (age-based dosing regimen: <65 years, 660 mg/day; ≥65 years, 440 mg/day) or placebo was administered over 7 days. Data at baseline and after 7 days in 818 patients who received naproxen sodium or placebo (n = 409 in each group) was pooled and analyzed. Five-point rating scales were used to assess knee or hip joint pain, stiffness after rest, day and night pain, and patient and investigator assessment of treatment, while function was evaluated using a timed 50-foot walk test.
Compared with placebo, there were significant improvements in pain and physical function with naproxen sodium (p < .05), and treatment was rated "good" to "excellent" significantly more often (p < .001) by investigators and patients. Efficacy results were similar among younger and older patients. There were no significant differences in adverse events between groups, regardless of age.
For the acute management of underlying pain in patients with moderate osteoarthritis of the hip or knee, non-prescription naproxen sodium is effective and well tolerated in patients of all ages.