Summary
Piroxicam 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. No registered clinical trial in this database tests Piroxicam specifically in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study. The literature layer holds 10 publications for this pair: 3 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 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 | 50.0 (trials 0.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 0 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 10 (5 clinical trial publications, 3 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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
No registered trial links Piroxicam to Rheumatoid Arthritis in the current OSMF trial extract.
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
- Clinical trial publication The Effectiveness of Olive Oil in Controlling Morning Inflammatory Pain of Phalanges and Knees Among Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Randomized Clinical TrialHekmatpou D, Mortaji S, Rezaei M et al. · Rehabilitation nursing : the official journal of the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses · 2020 · PMID 30192341
- Cochrane review Topical analgesics for acute and chronic pain in adults - an overview of Cochrane ReviewsDerry S, Wiffen PJ, Kalso EA et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017 · PMID 28497473
- 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
- Clinical trial publication Meloxicam in acute episodes of soft-tissue rheumatism of the shoulderVidal L, Kneer W, Baturone M et al. · Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2001 · PMID 11339517
- Clinical trial publication Piroxicam concentrations in plasma and synovial fluid after a single dose of piroxicam-beta-cyclodextrinBannwart B, Bertin P, Péhourcq F et al. · International journal of clinical pharmacology and therapeutics · 2001 · PMID 11204935
- Clinical trial publication Diclofenac/misoprostol: the European clinical experienceMcKenna F · The Journal of rheumatology. Supplement · 1998 · PMID 9596551
- Clinical trial publication Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis: support for the concept of "responders" and "nonresponders"Walker JS, Sheather-Reid RB, Carmody JJ et al. · Arthritis and rheumatism · 1997 · PMID 9365082
- Randomized controlled trial Cyclosporine and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs: exploring potential drug interactions and their implications for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritisKovarik JM, Mueller EA, Gerbeau C et al. · Journal of clinical pharmacology · 1997 · PMID 9115060
- 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
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 Piroxicam approved for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Piroxicam 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 Piroxicam in clinical trials for Rheumatoid Arthritis?
No registered clinical trial in this database tests Piroxicam specifically in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The evidence below comes from published literature only, so any clinical signal has not yet been tested prospectively against this condition in a registered study.
What does the evidence show for Piroxicam in Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Synthesis-level literature links Piroxicam to Rheumatoid Arthritis, but no registered trial in this database tests the pair, so the evidence is observational, pooled from other indications, or pre-dates registry practice. 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.