Abstract
Administation of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) can cause adverse reactions, particularly gastric problems. Methods to ameliorate these adverse reactions have been suggested, such as use of selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors, use of NSAID prodrugs, and development of agents with inflammatory tissue selectivity.
The present study of zaltoprofen, a selective COX-2, inhibitor investigated the drug level in synovial fluid as well as its efficasy and safety.
We measured the zaitoprofen concentration in the blood and synovial fluid of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee at two and four weeks after drug administration. The blood levels at and 4 weeks were 3.43 and 2.69 μg/m1, respectively, while the synovial fluid levels were 1.0 and 1.0μg/ml, respectively, The percent transfer to synovial fluid was 29.1% and 35.7% respectively.
The final general improvement rate was 40%, and neither adverse reactions nor abnormal laboratory test results were detected in any patient.
