Efficacy and Safety of Meloxicam Suspension Versus Diclofenac Suspension or Nimesulide Suspension in Patients With a Diagnosis of Acute, Non-bacterial Pharyngitis, Pharyngotonsillitis or Laryngitis

Inclusion criteria

• Patients of both genders between 2 and 8 years old
• Outpatients, with onset of symptoms not more than 72 hours prior to presentation, patients with acute non-bacterial pharyngitis or pharyngotonsillitis diagnosed according to the following criteria:

• Spontaneous pharyngeal pain, pharyngeal pain upon swallowing, pharyngeal and/or tonsillar hyperemia, absence of purulent plaques, pharyngeal smear negative for ß-hemolytic Streptococcus or Strepto Test® and Treatment with an Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) required or recommended

Exclusion criteria

• Known or suspected hypersensitivity to study medications or NSAID's
• Pharyngeal smear positive for ß-hemolytic Streptococcus
• treatment with antimicrobials prior to enrolment in the study
• Chronic infection, infectious mononucleosis, peptic ulcer disease that has been active in the previous 6 months
• Asthma
• nasal polyps
• angioneurotic edema or urticaria after the administration of aspirin or NSAID's
• Concomitant treatment with anticoagulants (including heparin), lithium or methotrexate
• Concomitant administration of other NSAID's (including high dose aspirin) or analgesics, except authorized rescue drugs
• Administration of any NSAID during the three previous days or of analgesics within six hours prior to the administration of the first study drug dose
• Treatment with corticosteroids at the time of enrollment or within the two previous months
• Known liver, renal or hematological disease
• Participation in another clinical trial during the study period or during the previous month
• Previous enrollment in this study
• Inability to comply with the protocol
• Suspected acute bacterial pharyngitis or pharyngotonsillitis (under the following clinical criteria):

• Clinical presentation characterized by a rapid onset, very high fever (>38.5°C), severe pharyngeal pain, cervical adenopathy, intense headache, purulent pharyngeal plaques, evidence of peritonsillar abscess or phlegmon