[Results of a long-term study with acemetacin in the therapy of patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (author's transl)].

Within the framework of a long-term study the efficacy and tolerability of [1-(p-chlorobenzoyl)-5-methoxy-2-methylindol-3-acetoxy] acetic acid (acemetacin, TV 1322, Rantudil) were tested in 26 female patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. The patients were aged between 32 and 78 years. The duration of therapy was 24 weeks. After daily doses of 90-180 mg acemetacin the functional impairment improved by approx. 47%, pain by approx. 44% and articular swelling by approx. 5%. These results were achieved although of 22 assessable cases 14 female patients had received indometacin for at least 4 weeks before the study and 8 female patients had received other non-steroidal antirheumatic agents. The tolerability of acemetacin was very good. Only one female patient complained of a gastrointestinal disorder which led to withdrawal of the therapy. The side effect disappeared after withdrawal of the therapy. None of the laboratory values produced any evidence that a long-term acemetacin therapy would unfavourably influence the haemopoietic system or the parenchymatous organs. The therapeutic efficacy observed in this study and the low side effect rate indicate the great safety of an acemetacin therapy.