Acemetacin in Acute and Chronic Pain Management

Abstract

Acemetacin is the carboxymethyl ester of indomethacin and is a pro-drug precursor compound, in other words, a prodrug. The pharmacologically active metabolite of acemetacin is also indomethacin. Acemetacin exerts its potent non-steroidal anti-inflammatory effects in the body as indomethacin. It is known that acemetacin is not only a prodrug of indomethacin, but also an agent with gastric protective mechanisms, possibly involving a reduction in leukocyte adhesion, and that acemetacin exerts gastric protective effects by exhibiting less efficacy on the COX-1 enzyme in the gastric mucosa compared to direct indomethacin use. It is clear that acemetacin is a valuable NSAID for acute and chronic pain.
 Keywords: Acemetacin, indomethacin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.