Analgesic, Anti-Inflammatory and Ulcerogenic Studies of Meloxicam Solid Dispersion in Rodents

Meloxicam is a non steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and oestoarthritis. It is practically insoluble in water leading to poor dissolution, variations in bioavailability and gastric irritation on oral administration. In order to modulate its gastric side effect and to increase aqueous solubility, physical mixture and solid dispersion of the drug were prepared with polyethylene glycol 6000 and polyvinyl pyrrolidine. The analgesic, anti-inflammatory and ulcerogenic effects were assessed for physical mixture and solid dispersion in comparison with meloxicam alone. The results indicate that both physical mixture and solid dispersion possess better analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties with less ulcerogenic potential as compared to pure meloxicam.