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| |  ACR MEETING: Vioxx Reduced Pain, Improved Ability To Perform Daily Activities In Osteoarthritis Patients SAN DIEGO, CA -- Nov. 10, 1998 -- Patients with osteoarthritis (OA) treated with Vioxx™ (rofecoxib) were better able to carry out the physical activities of day-to-day living, which resulted in improvements in their overall mental health in terms of increased vitality and greater abilities to function socially and control emotions. This new six-week quality-of-life study of 672 patients was presented Nov. 10 at the American College of Rheumatology meeting. Vioxx is an investigational once-a-day COX-2 specific inhibitor being developed for pain and arthritis by Merck & Co., Inc. "In the study, Vioxx improved patients’ perceptions of their physical health and their ability to perform the functions of everyday life," explained study investigator Thomas Schnitzer, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine, Northwestern University. "This perception, in turn, resulted in improvement in all areas of mental health that was greater than we anticipated." The physical pain of osteoarthritis can greatly restrict patients’ lifestyles which, in turn, can have a negative effect on their overall mental health. "This study adds to our understanding of the relationship between improved physical functioning through the treatment of OA and the impact that treatment has on patients’ perception of their psychological well-being," explained Sheldon Kong, Ph.D., a health economist with Merck. The six-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study of 672 patients with OA of the hip or knee compared four doses (5, 12.5, 25 or 50 mg) of Vioxx to placebo. In the study, patients treated with Vioxx reported significant improvements in physical functioning compared to patients on placebo. Physical functioning included decreased bodily pain and an improved ability to perform everyday activities such as working around the house, participating in sports or hobbies, climbing stairs and bending, kneeling or stooping. The quality-of-life analysis, based on the clinical trial, assessed patients’ overall sense of mental well-being as measured by a widely used questionnaire known as the SF-36 Health Survey. In the survey, which was completed by 565 patients, patients’ perception of their improved physical health directly resulted in a significant improvement in their mental well-being. Furthermore, patients treated with Vioxx reported having more energy, participating in more frequent and rewarding social activities, having less difficulty working and conducting other daily activities because of emotional problems, and experienced improvement in their mental health in general compared to those taking placebo. The study did not show a difference in factors related to general health perceptions.
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