REVIEW ARTICLE Advances in NSAID Development: Evolution of Diclofenac Products Using Pharmaceutical Technology

The Author(s) 2015. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Diclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the phenylacetic acid class with anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties. Con-trary to the action of many traditional NSAIDs, diclofenac inhibits cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 enzyme with greater potency than it does COX-1. Similar to other NSAIDs, diclofenac is associated with serious dose-dependent gas-trointestinal, cardiovascular, and renal adverse effects. Since its introduction in 1973, a number of different di-clofenac-containing drug products have been developed with the goal of improving efficacy, tolerability, and pa-tient convenience. Delayed- and extended-release forms of diclofenac sodium were initially developed with the goal of improving the safety profile of diclofenac and providin