NONSTEROIDAL antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) have become an integral part of the therapy of rheumatologic disorders.1 The number of new agents available on the market has more than tripled in the past five to seven years,2 and several pharmaceutical companies have recently introduced more potent, longer-acting agents in expectation of a share of a predicted $1-billion market in 1984.3 NSAIDs are now the most widely prescribed of all drugs when grouped by generic categories, and this does not include aspirin, which is the most commonly used of all drugs and the prototype of NSAIDs.4 Data from the Arthritis Foundation indicate that . . .
Supported in part by a grant (AM 00599 [J.S.S.]) from the U.S. Public Health Service and a Biomedical Research Support Grant (2507RR05712–10 [D.M.C.]) from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Stoff is an Established Investigator of the American Heart Association.
We are indebted to Ms. Marta Meade and Ms. Joan Michael for excellent assistance in the preparation of the manuscript.
SOURCE INFORMATION
From the Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester; the Charles A. Dana Research Institute and the Harvard–Thorndike Laboratory of Beth Israel Hospital; and the Department of Medicine of Beth Israel Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston. Address reprint requests to Dr. Stoff at the Department of Medicine, Renal Medicine Division, University of Massachusetts Medical Center, 55 Lake Ave. North, Worcester, MA 01605.