A new clinical bioassay for antipyresis.

Three studies that describe antipyretic bioassay are detailed. Reference Standard Endotoxin (RSE) was used to induce fever in healthy male volunteers under randomized, single-dose, double-blind, parallel, and standard drug-control conditions. Thirty minutes before administering RSE, the subjects were medicated with test drug, and oral temperatures were recorded every 15 minutes for 6 to 8 hours. Two NSAIDs and a centrally acting analgesic were evaluated. Both doses of a propionic derivative, three high doses of tebufelone (a new NSAID), as well as the high dose of flupirtine effectively obtunded the fever response to RSE. Adverse reactions consisting of flu-like symptoms such as myalgia, headache, and chills were also significantly reduced with the standard as well as test drugs. The authors conclude that the RSE model is a quick, safe, and reliable method to evaluate antipyresis and to predict other pharmacologic effects of these types of drugs, such as analgesia.