Meclofenamic acid is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) with antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities.
Meclofenamic acid is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drug (NSAID) with antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities. It
is used for treating mild to moderate pain of primary dysmenorrhea, idiopathic
heavy menstrual blood loss, acute and chronic rheumatoid arthritis and
osteoarthritis. It works by preventing prostaglandins from being produced by
the injured tissue.
Pharmacological
class: NSAID
The mode of action of meclofenamic acid, like other NSAIDS
is not known. However, anti-inflammatory effects of this drug may result from
the peripheral inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis secondary to inhibition of
the enzyme cyclooxygenase. Prostaglandins sensitize pain receptors and their
inhibition is thought to be responsible for the analgesic effects of meclofenamic
acid. Unlike other NSAIDs, it appears to antagonize certain effects of existing
prostaglandins through competition for prostaglandin binding sites.
Mild to Moderate
Pain: 50 mg every 4 to 6 hours
Primary dysmenorrhea:
100 mg 3 times a day, for up to 6 days
Rheumatoid arthritis
& Osteoarthritis: 200 to 400 mg/day, administered in 3 or 4 equal doses
Meclofenamic
acid is completely bioavailable from capsules relative to an oral suspension
dosage form. Maximum meclofenamic acid plasma concentrations are achieved in
0.5-2 h following doses of capsules. Meclofenamic acid is extensively metabolized.
One of the metabolites, metabolite 1, is approximately 20% as active as the
parent compound in inhibiting cyclooxygenase activity in vitro. This metabolite accumulates in plasma during repeated
dosing.
Common (affecting between 1 in 10 to 1 in 100):
Uncommon (affecting 1 in 100 to 1 in 1000):
Very Rare (affecting less than 1 in 10,000):
In a study, the therapeutic efficacy of sodium
meclofenamate/meclofenamic acid (300 mg per day) was compared with aspirin (3.6
g per day) and placebo in 317 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.
Analyses of measures of tenderness, total joint involvement, duration of
morning stiffness, and patient condition and global improvement revealed that
the therapeutic effectiveness of 300 mg sodium meclofenamate daily and 3.6 g
aspirin daily were equivalent and significantly superior to that of placebo. Sodium
meclofenamate showed good control of disease activity and was generally well
tolerated in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.1
Eighteen patients participated in a double-blind,
placebo-controlled, single-dose, crossover study of meclofenamate sodium/meclofenamic
acid in women with primary dysmenorrhea. Improvements in pain intensity and
pain relief were observed at 45 minutes and reached statistical significance at
and beyond 1 hour 45 minutes after meclofenamic acid.2
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