A Naproxen Symposium: Introduction ALISTER

T

of

use

HE

the

symposium

of informing physicians medicine is becoming

in

as

a means

each

a

few hours, and from a variety

of whom

point

of

For

will

his In

to hear this of speakers,

contribute

But

to

is an

as the

papers

1974,

and

strate. Also, the naproxcn relevant to nonsteroidal, As ing

concentrate

on

a

just

human

cessfully suitable

on

trials

stage

From Syntex

the Dept. Corporation,

before patients. must

preis the

performed

is to

test

the

Symposium held in in conjunction with gress on Rheumatic

April,

1975

Medical Palo Alto, Toronto the VI Diseases.

Communications, Calif. on Pan

June 15, American

1974 Con-

imcom-

currently disease

value

in

of the

of naproxen

with

arthritis

symptomatology, tolerance

re-

study

Dr. an

a

such

Arsenault essential

as and

step

com-

that his

recol-

in

assessing

to

establish

the

range

of

which it may be The studies reported his colleagues on

exby the

safety.

It

is

clearly

on

in

important

a drug’s

clinical conditions pected to benefit. Dr. Barnes and

history

effect knee

of naproxen and hip, by

in osteoarthrosis Dr. Hill and

band

on its

in ankylosing

tis, and treatment necessary

of

the

rheumatoid

gastrointestinal

early

be suc-

also

ported by Dr. Diamond on behalf of his coauthors. Since all nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents-and this most certainly includes aspirin-tend to provoke

is

of

is

agent

drugs of the lies

as that

colleague.s

It

comparison

leagues

Segre’s

such his

a new

how

herein

in

need to be of time, the

and

standard treatment

and

drug

a drug One of be

is reached

with the

by

of phar-

must

for

know

Calif.

as naproxen,

study

Myhal

Alto,

double-blind Messias and

such

relevant.

to

ported

and

that

Dr.

particularly

pares used

Palo

in a by Dr.

a long-term by

opengeneral

Dr.

animal, out

in

which

this

his

pharmacokinetics the variety

studies

carried for use

when

of

parative

establishing

naproxen.

toxicologic,

liminary

demon-

and these must be in the testing of all

of the touches

macologic,

early

in

safety, applied not

account naproxen

here

explains in are certain

involved

agents,

results

aspirin

lessons can be learned from experience which will be future clinical trials of any antiinfiammatory compound.

efficacy and scrupulously new

promising in Toronto

B.Ch.

of a drug

double-blind

unusually

B.M.,

most cases will extended periods

question,

presented published

Dr. Lussier remarks, there

principles

in over

portant

naproxen

in June,

which given

are

a particular

single drug may seem to be narrowing the field of interest rather drastically. agent,

colleagues. the case

reported

view.

a symposium

M.A.,

drug against placebo situation, as reported

about progress more and more

popular, and with good reason. It enables an audience to learn about many different aspects of a central topic within the space of information

BRASS.

utility

her

of the hus-

spondyli-

by Dr. Willkens on its role in the of acute gout are therefore steps

in

establishing

where

naproxen will fit into the armamentarium of drugs used for degenerative and inflammatory joint disease. The final three papers in the syrn309

BRA

posium questions

attempt to anticipate some members of an audience

of the might

ask at this point in the proceedings. Ward looks back over the earlier tations, discusses the methodology ployed in these studies, and offers tions

of

new

employed for

the

with

which

future

rheumatoid

deals and the

approaches

in

for

arthritis.

be drugs

Badia-Flores

use-a

difficult

controversial area of treatment severe rheumatic patient-and

ments

on

play

in

the

role

helping

experience larly

reduce

class his

of drugs. favorable

naproxen

class

in

drugs

but

whose disease

potentially

two

classes

are

but

in

any

drug’s

portant as well

to as

a

history makes the

exceptional

know how the majority.

enough

the

drug

papers

will

find treatment

other

joint

diseases.

As for velopment

any as

lie behind

clinical testhold promise

a high

place of

compound a therapeutic

of this

describing

that

early results

the

and

for

chemical

among

rheumatic

undergoing agent,

symposium,

dethe

naproxen,

been known by various names and nations. Some of these are given all describe the same compound: name(+)

6

-

methyl

.

eneacetic Other

chemical

names

gastroof such last

patients, will

(+) 2 acid; 2’ acid

to

it is few

the

agents

12 studies and The

medi-

These

development

are many

development of naproxen.

that

USP

with

of upper the use

troublesome.

the ing

then, of the

2

has desigbelow;

Methoxy a naphthal-

acid

particu-

of patients-those

rheumatoid arthritis severe need continuous antiiaflammatory cation, intestinal

could

patients

Here, a few

subject

for com-

naproxen

on this describes

with

difficult

that

certain

their dependence Finally, Dr. Roth

310

might

testing

Dr.

corticosteroid

Dr. presenemsugges-

SR

Research Generic

designation

RS

-

-

2 - (6 - methoxy naphthyl) propionic d-2(6’-methoxyziaphthyl) propionic

3540

naproxen

name

imreact

Trade

names

Naprosyn; Naxen; syn

The

Journal

of

Clinical

Proxen;

Naprosine; Synax.

Pharmacology

-