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Acetaminophen provides non-inferior pain relief to loxoprofen in acute low back pain over 4 weeks, with similar functional, psychological, and safety outcomes.
In a randomized open-label non-inferiority trial, acetaminophen was found to be as effective as loxoprofen for reducing acute low back pain (LBP)—a finding that strengthens its position as a first-line treatment option in clinical practice.
In this study, 140 patients were screened and 127 were randomized to receive either acetaminophen (non-opioid analgesic) or loxoprofen (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; NSAIDs). Pain intensity was measured via the numeric rating scale (NRS), with additional evaluation of disability, mental health outcomes, quality of life, and safety at 2 and 4 weeks. A noninferiority margin of 0.84 points on the pain scale was predefined.
Overall, 70 patients completed the study (35 per group), with similar dropout rates. Both treatments exhibited equivalent reductions in pain severity, remaining within the noninferiority threshold at all time points. There were no vital differences in secondary outcomes such as disability, anxiety, depression, or quality of life. Safety profiles were also comparable, with no prominent difference in adverse events.
Pain reduction in both groups was statistically similar and remained within the predefined noninferiority margin (Table 1).
Thus, both acetaminophen and loxoprofen provide effective and comparable relief of acute LBP, supporting their use as valuable treatment options in clinical practice.
Journal of Orthopaedic Science
Randomized open-label [corrected] non-inferiority trial of acetaminophen or loxoprofen for patients with acute low back pain
Kenji Miki et al.
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