Acetaminophen was noninferior to diclofenac alone or to diclofenac plus acetaminophen in reducing acute minor musculoskeletal pain.
Treating pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can cause serious renal, gastrointestinal, and cardiovascular adverse effects. To determine whether acetaminophen is noninferior to NSAIDs in reducing pain, investigators in the Netherlands conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial in which 547 adults with acute minor extremity trauma received acetaminophen (4000 mg/day), the NSAID diclofenac (150 mg/day), or both for 3 days. All patients received omeprazole (20 mg/day) for 3 days.
The main outcome was decrease in pain measured on a numeric rating scale 90 minutes after the first dose. Also assessed were adverse events and patient satisfaction.
Acetaminophen was noninferior to the other regimens across all outcome …
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals