Summary
Forty-four patients with rheumatoid arthritis were treated with fentiazac (400 mg per day), a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic, for 8 weeks. The results of objective assessments showed that fentiazac produced a statistically significant (p < 0.001) decrease in the duration of morning stiffness, in total joint score, and in walking time over a fixed distance, from the end of the first week of treatment. Further improvement was recorded throughout the trial period. Four patients were withdrawn, 2 because of lack of response and 2 because of side-effects. The majority of side-effects reported, however, were of mild intensity and no important changes from normal values were found in any of the routine laboratory parameters investigated.