Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most commonly prescribed groups of drugs in the community. This reflects the high frequency of rheumatic complaints but may in part be due to the relative non efficacy of these drugs. Since the introduction of ibuprofen, the first new NSAID to compete with aspirin, phenylbutazone and indomethacin, there has been a proliferation of new NSAIDs of differing chemical classes but an apparent similar spectrum of action. Despite the fact that these drugs are thought to work by an apparent common mechanism of action (suppression of...