Summary
Etodolac has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Rheumatoid Arthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Etodolac to Rheumatoid Arthritis: 1 has completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 9984 participants. Registered activity dates to 2001. The literature layer holds 11 publications for this pair: 3 Cochrane reviews, 2 meta-analyses, 1 randomised controlled trial publication and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 1993 to 2025. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Rheumatoid Arthritis ranks 544 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: 11% achieve drug-free remission (DFR) at median 74 months; most cohorts show 10-15% DFR ceiling.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 52.5 (trials 2.5, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 11 (5 clinical trial publications, 3 Cochrane reviews, 2 meta-analyses, 1 randomised controlled trial publication) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | Open Targets, ChEMBL |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT02180516 | Safety and Efficacy of Meloxicam Compared to Other Nonsteroidal Antiinflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in an Observational Cohort Study of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Lumbago, Scapulohumeral Periarthritis, Neck, Shoulder and Arm Syndrome 2001 | completed | Not applicable | 9,984 |
Published literature
- Cochrane review Systematic review and meta-analysis of analgesic treatment options in patients with rheumatoid arthritis related painLautenschlager C, Stropes A, Smith A et al. · Advances in rheumatology (London, England) · 2025 · PMID 41108024
- Cochrane review Safety of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including aspirin and paracetamol (acetaminophen) in people receiving methotrexate for inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, other spondyloarthritis)Colebatch AN, Marks JL, Edwards CJ · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2011 · PMID 22071858
- Meta-analysis Cyclooxygenase-2 selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (etodolac, meloxicam, celecoxib, rofecoxib, etoricoxib, valdecoxib and lumiracoxib) for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and economic evaluationChen YF, Jobanputra P, Barton P et al. · Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2008 · PMID 18405470
- Clinical trial publication Patient retention and hand-wrist radiograph progression of rheumatoid arthritis during a 3-year prospective study that prohibited disease modifying antirheumatic drugsPaulus HE, Di Primeo D, Sharp JT et al. · The Journal of rheumatology · 2004 · PMID 14994390
- Cochrane review Number needed to treat (NNT): implication in rheumatology clinical practiceOsiri M, Suarez-Almazor ME, Wells GA et al. · Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2003 · PMID 12634229
- Clinical trial publication Progression of radiographic joint erosion during low dose corticosteroid treatment of rheumatoid arthritisPaulus HE, Di Primeo D, Sanda M et al. · The Journal of rheumatology · 2000 · PMID 10914843
- Clinical trial publication [Investigation of plasma levels of etodolac and urine PGE2 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis]Matsunaga K, Yawata M, Hagiya N et al. · Ryumachi. [Rheumatism] · 1999 · PMID 10536480
- Clinical trial publication Double blind evaluation of the long-term effects of etodolac versus ibuprofen in patients with rheumatoid arthritisNeustadt DH · The Journal of rheumatology. Supplement · 1997 · PMID 9035016
- Clinical trial publication Comparison of the efficacy and safety of etodolac and piroxicam in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Etodolac Study 326 Rheumatoid Arthritis Investigators GroupLightfoot R · The Journal of rheumatology. Supplement · 1997 · PMID 9035015
- Meta-analysis Meta-analysis of two double-blind comparative studies with the sustained-release form of etodolac in rheumatoid arthritisPorzio F · Rheumatology international · 1993 · PMID 8210921
- Randomized controlled trial Double-blind comparison of etodolac and piroxicam in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritisDick WC, Franchimont P, Veys E · Clinical therapeutics · 1993 · PMID 8458044
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Etodolac approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Etodolac has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Rheumatoid Arthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Etodolac in clinical trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Etodolac to Rheumatoid Arthritis: 1 has completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 9984 participants. Registered activity dates to 2001.
What does the evidence show for Etodolac in Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Etodolac has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Rheumatoid Arthritis. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in Open Targets and ChEMBL. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.