Efficacy and safety of the first parenteral selective COX-2 inhibitor, parecoxib sodium, in adult patients with postoperative pain.

Parecoxib, a prodrug of valdecoxib, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, has been recently introduced for the treatment of moderate to severe postoperative pain. This prospective, open, multicentric study enrolled 260 patients undergoing orthopaedic, gynaecological, dental and general surgery. Postoperatively, patients were treated with parecoxib, 40 mg IM/IV. There was a statistically significant decrease in the mean pain intensity score (p<0.05). At the end of 24 hours, 89.6% of total cases had a very good to total relief of pain. The mean duration of analgesia was 19.26 hours and mean time of onset of analgesia was 16.25 minutes ranging from 11-20 minutes. The laboratory values were within normal limits. The drug was well tolerated. There was no report of any hypersensitivity reaction. This study suggests that parecoxib, in a dose of 40 mg IM/IV, is an effective and safe option for the management of postoperative pain.