The objective of this open postmarketing study is to test and express objectively the effectiveness and tolerance of meloxicam in active rheumatoid arthritis in clinical practice of out-patient rheumatologists in the Czech Republic. A total of 412 patients (76 men, 336 women) participated in the study, mean age 53.1 (± 7) years, suffering from active rheumatoid arthritis on an average for 8.6 years (± 4.3). The study lasted 8 weeks and the administered dose of meloxicam dose was 15–7.5 mg per dose. At the end of the study a statistically significant improvement of all investigated parameters of effectiveness was recorded: mean painfulness of joints at rest (p < 0.001), the mean articular pain during movement (p = 0.01), the mean functional impairment of joints (p = 0.01), the mean number of painful joints (p = 0.001), the mean number of swollen joints (p = 0.005), the mean period of morning stiffness (p = 0.01) and the state of the disease evaluated by the patient ( p = 0.005). The global evaluation of effectiveness by the physician was 2.13 on a four-point verbal scale (0 = poor, 3 = very good). Tolerance of treatment was very good. Undesirable effects were recorded in a total of 23 patients (5.6 %), incl. undesirable gastrointestinal effects in 13 patients (3.2%). A total of 11 patients discontinued participation in the study on account of non serious undesirable gastroin- testinal effects (dyspepsia, epigastralgia), another five patients on account of other undesirable effects (allergy, furunculosis, deterioration of another disease). Conclusion: Meloxicam in doses of 7.5-15 mg per day is a very well tolerated and effective NSA in rheumatoid arthritis.

        Key words: meloxicam, rheumatoid arthritis