Oxicam is a class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), [2] meaning that they have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic therapeutic effects. Oxicams bind closely to plasma proteins. [1] Most oxicams are unselective inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. The exception is meloxicam with a slight (10:1) preference for COX-2, which, however, is only clinically relevant at low doses. [3]
The most popular drug of the oxicam class is piroxicam. [1] Other examples include: ampiroxicam, droxicam, pivoxicam, tenoxicam, lornoxicam, [1] and meloxicam.
Isoxicam has been suspended as a result of fatal skin reactions. [1]
The physico-chemical characteristics of these molecules vary greatly depending upon the environment. [4]
In contrast to most other NSAIDs, oxicams are not
carboxylic acids. They are
tautomeric, and can exist as a number of tautomers (
keto-enol tautomerism), here exemplified by piroxicam:
[2]
![]() | This section has no
medical references for
verification or relies exclusively on non-medical sources. (February 2022) |
The oxicams are associated with drug-related erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens–Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). This association is one of the reasons oxicams are not regularly prescribed.
Oxicam is a class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), [2] meaning that they have anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic therapeutic effects. Oxicams bind closely to plasma proteins. [1] Most oxicams are unselective inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. The exception is meloxicam with a slight (10:1) preference for COX-2, which, however, is only clinically relevant at low doses. [3]
The most popular drug of the oxicam class is piroxicam. [1] Other examples include: ampiroxicam, droxicam, pivoxicam, tenoxicam, lornoxicam, [1] and meloxicam.
Isoxicam has been suspended as a result of fatal skin reactions. [1]
The physico-chemical characteristics of these molecules vary greatly depending upon the environment. [4]
In contrast to most other NSAIDs, oxicams are not
carboxylic acids. They are
tautomeric, and can exist as a number of tautomers (
keto-enol tautomerism), here exemplified by piroxicam:
[2]
![]() | This section has no
medical references for
verification or relies exclusively on non-medical sources. (February 2022) |
The oxicams are associated with drug-related erythema multiforme (EM), Stevens–Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). This association is one of the reasons oxicams are not regularly prescribed.