MELOXICAM IN ACUTE UV DERMATITIS - A PILOT-STUDY

The non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam is a prefer ential cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) antagonist. The UV protective potentia l of this drug was studied to compare it with the reported beneficial effects of such preferentially COX-1 specific NSAIDs as indomethacin a nd acetylsalicylic acid in the literature. In a pilot study (open-labe l, nonrandomized, non-controlled, unblinded), IO patients received UV irradiation with the minimal erythema dose (MED), first with meloxicam (7.5 mg/die) to reduce post-operative pain and second without ingesti on of meloxicam. The factor of UV protection was evaluated. In six of ten patients meloxicam showed no benefit, whereas four of ten patients had a 1.3- up to 3-fold UV protection. In this study, the benefit in UV protection of meloxicam as a prefential COX-2 antagonist was not ab ove the reported benefit of the ''old'' COX-1 inhibiting NSAIDS.