Comparative study on efficacy and safety of celecoxib and diclofenac in the treatment of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Obiective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of celecoxib in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). Methods A randomized, double-blind, bimodal-controlled, and parallel-group study was conducted in 48 patients. They were randomly divided to receive celecoxib 100 mg, twice daily plus placebo of diclofenac, twice daily (n=24) or placebo of celecoxib, twice daily plus diclofenac 50 mg, twice daily (n=24) for 12 weeks. Results The indexes of pain (VAS) in both celecoxib group and diclofenac group were significantly reduced, and index of patient or investigator global assessment of disease status was improved. But the difference between the groups was not significant. The incidence of CI side-effect in celecoxib group was lower than that in diclofenac group(Fisher′s exact test, P=0.233). Conclusion Celecoxib is effective like diclofenac for treatment of RA and OA; the patient has a good tolerance for it.