Family Medicine & Primary Care Review
eISSN: 2449-8580
ISSN: 1734-3402
Family Medicine & Primary Care Review
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1/2026
vol. 28
 
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abstract:
Original paper

Efficacy of etofenamate gel used for knee pain in the opinions of patients and pharmacists delivering minor ailment services in community pharmacy

Kamil Żarłok
1
,
Urszula Religioni
2
,
Justyna Kaźmierczak
1
,
Aneta Krolak-Ulińska
3
,
Agnieszka Drab
4
,
Krystian Wdowiak
4
,
Katarzyna Plagens-Rotman
5
,
Zbigniew Doniec
6
,
Piotr Merks
7
,
Regis Vaillancourt
7

  1. The Polish Pharmacy Practice Research Network (PPPRN), Warsaw, Poland
  2. School of Public Health, Centre of Postgraduate Medical Education of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
  3. Anestesiology and Intensive Care Unit, Wegrow Regional Hospital, Wegrow, Poland
  4. Department of Medical Informatics and Statistics with e-Health Laboratory, Medical, University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland
  5. Center for Sexology and Pediatric, Adolescent Gynecology, Division of Gynecology, Department of Perinatology and Gynecology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
  6. Pneumonology Clinic, Institute of Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases in Rabka-Zdroj, Rabka-Zdroj, Poland
  7. Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Collegium Medicum, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University, Warsaw, Poland
Family Medicine & Primary Care Review 2026; 28(1): 87–93
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/fmpcr.2026.159156
Online publish date: 2026/03/30
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Background
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common cause of knee pain and can be associated with significant disability. Topical treatment with etofenamate gel may be effective in relieving knee pain.

Objectives
The objective of the study was to assess the efficacy of etofenamate gel used for knee pain from the perspectives of patients and pharmacists.

Material and methods
The study was conducted by 10 pharmacists in 20 randomly selected community pharmacies in Poland between December 2023 and April 2024. Data were collected during three patient visits: Visit 1 (baseline), Visit 2 (after 7 days of treatment), and Visit 3 (14 days after the baseline visit). Etofenamate was applied topically to the painful knee 3–4 times daily for 14 days. The VAS scale, KOOS questionnaire, and General Pharmacist Assessment were used to evaluate the outcomes. A total of 158 patients with knee pain participated in the study.

Results
Initially, patients most commonly rated their pain intensity at levels 6 and 7 in the last 24 hours (24.46% and 29.50%, respectively) and at levels 5 and 6 in the past week (23.02% and 25.18%). Ultimately, 84.89% of patients reported improvement or significant improvement, which was confirmed by objective assessments from the researchers (pharmacists). Etofenamate was highly rated for ease of application, absorption speed, feeling of freshness, odor, and non-greasy feel.

Conclusions
Etofenamate gel proved to be an effective treatment for reducing knee pain in patients.

keywords:

pain, knee, osteoarthritis, quality of life

  
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