Trial reportDrugs2003
A randomised, double-blind, clinical trial comparing the efficacy of nimesulide, celecoxib and rofecoxib in osteoarthritis of the knee.
Trial report in Drugs, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 42 citations in OpenAlex.
- Celecoxib for osteoarthritis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Rofecoxib for osteoarthritis.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2005Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose combination of nimesulide/pantoprazole compared to naproxen/esomeprazole for pain relief in patients with osteoarticular diseases and dyspeptic symptoms.Drug design, development and therapy · 2018Trial
- The effect of nimesulide on skeletal muscle hypertrophy and load progression after 8 weeks of resistance training in wistar rats.Journal of muscle research and cell motility · 2026Article
- A type-5 metabotropic glutamate receptor-perineuronal net axis shapes the function of cortical GABAergic interneurons in chronic pain.Journal of anesthesia, analgesia and critical care · 2025Review
- Screening chondrocyte necroptosis-related genes in the diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Article
- Review
- Prescriptions of NSAIDs to patients undergoing third molar surgery : an observational, prospective, multicentre survey.Clinical drug investigation · 2008Article
- Are there any differences among non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs? Focus on nimesulide.Clinical drug investigation · 2007Article
- Applying the evidence in osteoarthritis: strategies for pain management.Clinical drug investigation · 2007Review
- Benefit-risk assessment of rofecoxib in the treatment of osteoarthritis.Drug safety · 2004Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
unlabelledJoint pain is the main complaint in patients affected by osteoarthritis (OA), and NSAIDs are commonly used to treat pain associated with OA. Over the past few years, cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2-selective inhibitors have been proved to have certain advantages over non-selective NSAIDs and have been increasingly used for pain management in patients with OA.
objectiveThe main objective of this randomised, double-blind, within-patient study was to compare the analgesic efficacy of three COX-2 inhibitors in 30 patients affected by symptomatic OA of the knee. We evaluated the effects of oral nimesulide (100mg), celecoxib (200mg) and rofecoxib (25mg). Each drug was administered for 7 days.
methodsAnalgesic efficacy was determined using the patient's assessment of pain on a visual analogue scale (VAS) and by total pain relief over 3 hours (TOPAR3) on the first and last days of treatment. In addition, the overall analgesic efficacy and tolerability were determined by a global assessment by the patient at the end of each week of treatment, using 5-point categorical scales. At the end of the study, each patient was asked about which of the three forms of treatment they would choose as a continuation of the pain therapy.
resultsTaking all the results into consideration, nimesulide proved to be significantly more effective in providing symptomatic relief than did celecoxib and rofecoxib. Furthermore, nimesulide provided more rapid relief of pain associated with walking than did the other two drugs tested. Patients expressed similar preference for nimesulide and rofecoxib, but a lesser preference for celecoxib treatment. No patient withdrew from the study because of adverse events and the three different forms of treatment were generally safe and well tolerated.
conclusionThe present data confirm our previous observations in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, further suggesting that nimesulide represents an effective agent for the treatment of joint pain, with particular reference to the rapid onset of its analgesic effect.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.