Abstract

Tenoxicam (Mobiflex) is a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) being promoted by two major companies, Roche and Glaxo (Duncan Flockhart), which have hitherto had no products in this field. It is licensed for “the relief of pain and inflammation in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis”. We have previously highlighted the balance between efficacy and risk of serious adverse effects for NSAIDs;¹ the relative safety of a new NSAID is particularly difficult to quantify because of the few patients studied in clinical trials. Does tenoxicam offer any features that justify introduction of yet another NSAID?