Non-Narcotic Analgesic Best for Knee Surgery

In a phase III study, injectable parecoxib sodium, a COX-2 specific analgesic, was found to be superior to morphine 4 mg for patients who have total knee replacement surgery. It was also found superior to ketorolac. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in San Francisco (CA, USA).

The multicenter study involved 208 patients with moderate to severe pain following total knee replacement surgery. Parecoxib sodium and morphine 4 mg had a similar onset of action, but patients treated with parecoxib sodium continued without additional analgesics significantly longer than patients treated with morphine sulphate (five hours and 10 minutes versus two hours and seven minutes, respectively). In addition, 80% of patients who received the parecoxib rated their pain medication as good or excellent, compared with 70% of ketorolac patients, and 45% of morphine patients. Parecoxib was developed by Pharmacia (Peapack, NJ, USA)

"Total knee replacement is a very painful procedure,” said Evan Ekman, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and director of Southern Orthopedic Sports Medicine in Columbia, SC (USA). "This study suggests that parecoxib may become an effective and well-tolerated option, which is an exciting prospect, since no new injectable analgesics have been introduced in the United States in more than a decade.”



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