Meloxicam (Mobic): a review of its pharmacological and clinical profile

Meloxicam (Mobic) is a new nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) derived from enolic acid, exhibiting selectivity for cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 over COX-1. Meloxicam has shown potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity together with low gastrointestinal toxicity in animal models. It is a potent inhibitor not only of acute exudation in adjuvant arthritis in the rat, but also of bone and cartilage destruction. The therapeutic range of meloxicam in the rat, with regard to inhibition of adjuvant arthritis, was several times greater than that of other NSAIDs. Meloxicam in therapeutic doses was found to have no effect on bleeding time or platelet aggregation in healthy volunteers. In clinical studies, meloxicam has shown reliable efficacy against rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, lumbago (low back pain), scapulohumeral periarthritis, and neck-shoulder-arm syndrome with low gastrointestinal toxicity.