Ketoprofen: The European Experience

Abstract

An overview of European experience with ketoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) with analgesic properties, from the time of its marketing in 1973 until the present is presented. Orally administered ketoprofen (200 mg/day) has been proven effective in treating rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Furthermore, several alternate dosage forms, including intramuscular injection for relief of acutely painful conditions, suppositories, two slow‐release forms (a sustained‐release tablet [IBP 200®] and a controlled‐release capsule [Oruvaii®]), and a topical gel for local treatment of certain superficial conditions and minor rheumatologic disease are available. The safety of ketoprofen has also been proven in several European postmarketing surveillance studies and more importantly, by French and British drug monitoring data. Ketoprofen was rated as one of the safest NSAIDs available in the United Kingdom (UK) by the Committee on the Safety of Medicine in 1986. For incidence of gastrointestinal complaints per million prescriptions, ketoprofen ranked seventh among 19 NSAIDs in its first five years of marketing in the UK. Ketoprofen has been associated with a very low incidence of serious renal, hepatic, or cutaneous reactions. Thus ketoprofen, in 15 years of marketed use in Europe, has proven to be an effective anti‐inflammatory and analgesic agent with an excellent safety profile and several convenient dosage forms.

Drug–excipient interactions in ketoprofen: A vibrational spectroscopy study

“…4 Although the therapeutic action of ketoprofen is known to be mainly associated with inhibition of prostaglandin and leukotrien synthesis, 5 the mechanisms underlying this activity are still poorly understood and have been the subject of vigorous research. It is generally accepted, however, that a controlled release of the drug greatly enhances its activity.…”

Ketoprofen Allergic Reactions

“…Topical KP is used in more than 70 countries because of its local analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects and low toxicity. However, since 1983, an increasing number of case reports of allergic and photo allergic contact dermatitis from KP has been published, first from the Mediterranean countries and later also from more northern European areas and from Japan [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. Contact allergy to topical ketoprofen (KP) is an emerging problem, whose diagnosis can be complex owing to the peculiar characteristics of NSAID and the possible inadequacy of current diagnostic methods, including concentration and vehicle used in patch testing.…”

Antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effects of ketoprofen are potentiated by a vitamin B mixture in the rat

“…Ketoprofen, a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID), is widely used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases [Avouac and Teule, 1988;Veys, 1991]. However, like many NSAIDs, gastrointestinal side effects limit its use [Henry et al, 1996].…”