Abstract
Meloxicam is one of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) used for relief of pain and inflammation. It works by inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzymes which are responsible for Prostaglandins synthesis. The purpose of this study was to assess analgesic effects of brand (Mobic (R)) and three generics (Neoxicam (R), Coxicam (R), Oximal (R)) of meloxicam in rats. Fifty-four male albino rats were divided into nine groups equally and randomly allocated to receive oral Mobic, Neoxicam, Coxicam or Oximal at same doses (10 mg/kg) and one group received vehicle orally (positive control). Anti-nociception was evaluated using hot plate test at 30 minutes, 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th hour after drug administration and formalin test at phase1 (within this time the first 5 minutes), phase 2A (from 10 to 39 min) and phase 2B (from 40 to 60 min). The result of this study in hot plate test shown that the analgesic effect of Oximal at 2nd and 4th hours was statistically significant (p<0.05) compared to Mobic; also Coxicam significantly increased the percentage of the maximum possible effect than the brand at 4th hour. However, there was no significant difference between the band and all generics at 30, 60 and 480 min. In formalin test, all treatment groups significantly reduced the frequency of flinching compared to positive control group, but there was no significant difference between the brand and generics at all timepoints. Moreover, the reduction in the duration of licking was not significant between treatment groups and positive control group in phase1 and 2A. Nevertheless, the brand and generics significantly reduced the duration of licking in phase 2B compare to control group and there was no significant difference between the all treatment groups at the same phase. In conclusion, according to these results, the analgesic effect of the generics (Neoxicam, Coxicam, Oximal) proved to be as good as the brand (Mobic).