Lee C, Straus WL, Balshaw R et al.
Arthritis & Rheumatism 2004;51:746-754.

To perform a meta-analysis comparing the efficacy and safety of recommended dosages of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), including cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitors versus acetaminophen in the treatment of symptomatic hip and knee osteoarthritis, Medline and EMBASE searches were performed for original clinical trials directly comparing NSAIDs with acetaminophen. The scores for overall pain at rest and walking pain favoured the NSAID-treated group. Although NSAIDs were found to elevate the risk of withdrawals due to adverse events, the difference was not statistically significant. The study also found that NSAIDs are statistically superior in reducing rest and walking pain compared with acetaminophen for symptomatic osteoarthritis. Also, safety was not found to be statistically different between the NSAID- and acetaminophen-treated groups.