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Azapropazone
See also Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
General information
Azapropazone is structurally related to phenylbutazone and probably shares the same adverse effects: gastrotoxicity, skin reactions, headache, vertigo, edema, and renal impairment. A review of a very large series described azapropazone adverse effects in 1724 patients (18%), causing withdrawal in 3.7%. Surprisingly, however, there were no phenylbutazone-type blood dyscrasias [ ]. Azapropazone should be prescribed only for patients with active rheumatic diseases who have failed to respond to other NSAIDs [ ].
Organs and systems
Hematologic
Hemolytic anemia has been reported [ , ]. A high percentage of patients taking azapropazone had a positive direct Coombs’ test, but this did not persist after treatment had been stopped for several weeks [ , ]. Hemolytic anemia has also been described in combination with pulmonary alveolitis, which suggests an allergic or immune reaction [ ]. Photosensitivity is often reported: 190 reports of photosensitivity were submitted to several national drug-monitoring centers in Europe in 1985 [ ].
Skin
Photosensitivity is more frequent with azapropazone than with almost any other NSAID [ ].
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