Efficacy and safety of ketoprofen patch in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

This study assessed the efficacy and safety of ketoprofen patch compared with placebo in patients who had rheumatoid arthritis and persistent wrist pain. Patients (N = 676)who had achieved systemic disease control with a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug and/or systemic corticosteroid, but still had persistent wrist pain, were randomized to a 2-week course of once-daily treatment with application of a 20-mg ketoprofen patch or a placebo patch to the wrist. The primary efficacy end point was the percent change from baseline to the end of treatment in the intensity of wrist pain scored by each patient on a 100-mm visual analog scale.