Pharmacological action and clinical outcome of newly developed NSAIDs patch, “LOQOA<sup>® </sup>tape”

Topical non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) patches are indispensable for the treatment of musculoskeletal diseases, while they are considered less effective than oral NSAIDs. LOQOA^® tape is a tape-type patch containing esflurbiprofen (SFP) as a major active ingredient with potent cyclooxygenase inhibition and sufficient skin permeability. SFP patch (SFPP) showed higher percutaneous absorption rate, rapid pain relief, and potent anti-inflammatory efficacy comparing with existing NSAIDs patches in rat. SFPP showed dramatically higher synovial fluid and tissue concentration on SFP than that of flurbiprofen (FP) patch after single application to knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients. On the other hand, clinical dosage of SFPP was determined as not more than two patches a day from the estimation of systemic exposure to SFP of SFPP and oral FP. SFPP showed statistically significant differences in pain relief and all the other efficacy end points compared to inactive placebo or FP patch in knee OA patients. Efficacy on OA other than knee joint was also observed. In long-term study of SFPP, using up to two patches a day, a total of 201 patients was included and 161 patients achieved 52-week application. Among drug-related side effects, skin reaction at the application sites was observed in 46.8% and discontinued in 4.3%. Although gastro-intestinal reaction and abnormal changes in laboratory tests related to kidney function were observed as systemic drug-related side effects, most of them were mild in severity. SFPP, the new generation NSAIDs patch, would be one of effective options for the treatment of symptomatic OA patients.