Ketoprofen (25 mg) in the symptomatic treatment of episodic tension-type headache: double-blind placebo-controlled comparison with acetaminophen (1000 mg)

Abstract

Therapies in current use for episodic tension-type headache (ETTH) are often unsatisfactory. Few trials have been conducted to demonstrate efficacy of any of them. This multicenter placebo-controlled randomized parallel-groups study compared the analgesic efficacy of single oral doses of ketoprofen 25 mg and acetaminophen 1000 mg as outpatient treatment of 1 attack of ETTH. Efficacy was assessed by patients as pain relief on a diary-entered 7-point categorical scale. A total of 457 patients treated 348 attacks, 330 of which were evaluable. There were no serious adverse events (AEs); gastrointestinal AEs were most common on all treatments. Total relief from pain after 2 h was recorded by 16% of patients on placebo, 28% on ketoprofen, and 22% on acetaminophen. Worthwhile effect or total relief (all other responses were regarded as treatment failures) were recorded by 36% on placebo, 70% on ketoprofen (p < 0.001), 61% on acetaminophen (p < 0.001). The difference between ketoprofen and acetaminophen was not significant (p = 0.24). Various secondary efficacy measures confirmed superiority of both active treatments over placebo, with some trends for slightly better outcome on ketoprofen that on acetaminophen. This study demonstrates that ketoprofen is an effective alternative to standard therapy in ETTH.