Background: Although anti-inflammatory doses of ibuprofen are very effective in treating the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA), they come with an increased risk for gastrointestinal damage which can limit their use and decrease patient adherence to therapy.
Objective: Assess the efficacy and safety of an ibuprofen/famotidine fixed-dose tablet for reducing the risk of upper gastrointestinal (UGI) ulcers compared with ibuprofen alone in OA patients.
Methods: Osteoarthritis patients from previously completed randomized, double-blind, comparison registration trials (REDUCE-1 and 2) which included a broad pain patient population, were pooled and analyzed for (1) the risk of endoscopically identified UGI ulcers over 24 weeks and (2) comparative pre-specified treatment emergent adverse events (TEAEs). The primary outcomes were the comparative incidence of UGI, gastric, and duodenal ulcers and TEAEs in (1) the total OA population, (2) those aged ≥ 60 years, and (3) those on low dose aspirin. A total of 776 patients were randomized (safety population), and 713 were evaluable as the study population.
Results: Upper gastrointestinal ulcer risk was statistically significantly reduced with the fixed dose tablet compared with ibuprofen alone by 44% in the overall population, 55% in those aged ≥ 60 years and 65% in those on low dose aspirin. Individually, gastric and duodenal ulcers were also significantly reduced in all groups analyzed. Adverse events of special interest were generally similar between the 2 groups, with the exception of dyspepsia. Relative risk reduction for dyspepsia in the overall population was 40% and 55% in those aged ≥ 60 years. Patients not receiving low dose aspirin had a 49% relative risk reduction in dyspepsia.
Conclusion: The fixed combination of ibuprofen/famotidine significantly reduced the risk for endoscopically documented gastrointestinal ulcers in OA patients and produced clinically meaningful reductions in patient reported dyspepsia compared with the ibuprofen alone.