Etodolac is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drug with
analgesic properties. Its primary anti-inflammatory mechanism of action is through a selective effect on cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2). It is rapidly absorbed after
oral administration, and maximum plasma concentration (C(max)) is reached in 1-2 h, with an elimination half-life (t1/2 ) of 6-8 h.
Etodolac has been widely applied in the treatment of inflammatory
arthritides such as
rheumatoid arthritis,
ankylosing spondylitis and
gout and in
osteoarthritis and has been shown to be efficacious and well tolerated.However,
etodolac has other applications which rely primarily on its efficacy as an
analgesic. In particular,
etodolac has been evaluated in the treatment of a variety of different
pain states.
Etodolac has been observed to be efficacious in the treatment of
acute pain following dental extraction, orthopaedic and urological surgery, and
episiotomy, as well as in the treatment of
pain due to acute
sports injuries, primary dysmenorrhoea,
tendonitis,
bursitis,
periarthritis, radiculalgia and
low back pain.These studies indicate that
etodolac is a multipurpose
analgesic with many clinical applications in addition to its use in the treatment of inflammatory and degenerative forms of
arthritis.