Lumiracoxib is a highly selective and potent
cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor, with a novel structure that conveys weakly acidic properties and a unique pharmacological profile. It is rapidly absorbed, with a relatively short plasma half-life. In well designed clinical trials of 1-52 weeks' duration in patients with
osteoarthritis (OA) or
rheumatoid arthritis, the efficacy of oral
lumiracoxib 100-400 mg/day in decreasing
pain intensity and improving functional status was greater than that with placebo and similar to those with nonselective
NSAIDs or
celecoxib 200mg once daily. In single- and multiple-dose well designed trials in patients with
acute pain associated with primary dysmenorrhoea, dental or orthopaedic surgery or
tension-type headache,
lumiracoxib 100-800 mg once daily was more effective in relieving
acute pain than placebo or controlled-release
oxycodone 20 mg, and was at least as effective as selective
COX-2 inhibitors or nonselective
NSAIDs.
Lumiracoxib was generally well tolerated in clinical trials, with a similar overall tolerability profile to those of placebo and other COX-2-selective inhibitors. In a large 52-week safety trial in patients with OA,
lumiracoxib 400mg once daily had a rate of gastrointestinal
ulcer complications that was approximately one-third to one-quarter of that of
ibuprofen 800 mg three times daily or
naproxen 500 mg twice daily.
Lumiracoxib was not associated with an increase in cardiovascular events.