Assessment of analgesic drugs in soft tissue injuries presenting to an accident and emergency department--a comparison of antrafenine, paracetamol and placebo.

In a preliminary dose-finding study in patients following abdominal hysterectomy, antrafenine was found to be an effective analgesic in single oral doses of 300-600 mg. A double-blind controlled between-patient study was carried out to compare antrafenine (up to 1200 mg daily), paracetamol (up to 4 g daily) and placebo as analgesic in the control of pain produced by ligamentous knee or ankle injuries, low back pain or rib injuries. The only significant difference (P<0505) noted between drug treatments was a longer duration of analgesic activity following antrafenine. The implications of these results for the study of potential analgesic drugs in soft tissue injuries are discussed.