New Formula Extends Pain Relief

Ibuprofen and naproxen have been prescribed to fight headache, menstrual and other chronic pain, but its action only lasts an average of one day. Now, these medicines will get a better therapeutic effect due to innovative microparticles adhered to their chemical compounds, extending the relief of severe pain up to 15 days, with a lesser dose and without affecting other organs.

When the daily dose of these medicines is not enough to relief pain, doctors prescribe a greater dose. It may be effective for a while, but it can produce serious adverse effects, such as peptic ulcer.

The "Magic" Substance

Diana Marcela Aragón, PhD in Pharmaceutics from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, added microparticles created from a synthetic, polymer poly"lactic"co"glycolic acid (PLGA), to the ibuprofen and naproxen"s chemical compounds. The resulting solution allows those substances to dissolve gradually within the organism, thus the relieving effect will the last longer.

An arthritis patient, for instance, will be able to receive an injection of the prescribed dose once every two weeks, and not one or two times a day, as accustomed.

"The fact that it is biodegradable and biocompatible with human fluids makes PLGA to be used commonly around the world to create medicines, implants, surgeries, and sutures," said the researcher.

Generally, medicines enter the body to accomplish a particular task. Nevertheless, on its way they affect other organs. Ibuprofen and naproxen, for instance, mainly affect gastric mucosa, producing severe irritation.
With this new pharmacologic design, therapeutic action is noticeably improved. In addition, a lesser dose provides the same effect: if a patient requires 500 milligrams of ibuprofen to relieve pain, with the new substance he will just need a half dose.
 
Thus, risk of adverse effects gets reduced. All the benefits of the formula were tested in the lab; rodents exposed to severe pain and presenting inflammation responded positively to the provided dose.

It was established that the polymer degrades in the body without any allergic reaction. It"s not necessary to perform an operation to remove it from the body because it"s eliminated through the normal physiologic processes. "Microparticles are better absorbed and the body benefits from their benefits thoroughly," explains Doctor Aragón.

Through physiochemical tests of solubility, Professor Aragón found that, with the new technique, there are considerable savings in time within the development of new medicines. Likewise, the essays that led to the discovery, aside from assuring optimal conditions, are reduced in half.

The pharmacological therapy of arthritis, a chronic disease, relies on the patient"s defense system. The compound, designed in the Department of Pharmacy at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, is a solution to treat pain, while the specialist clinically defines the source of the pathology.