A profile of the physiological disposition and gastro-intestinal effects of fenoprofen in man.

SummaryPharmacodynamic studies have shown that fenoprofen is readily absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract following oral administration and that the disposition of absorbed fenoprofen does not differ significantly whether given orally or intravenously. Results indicate that fenoprofen is rapidly eliminated, in both children and adults, despite its high degree of protein binding. This is because almost all the drug is converted to metabolites which are readily excreted in urine. The evidence suggests that, at the recommended therapeutic dosages, there is unlikely to be any significant accumulation of fenoprofen or its metabolites with chronic administration. Possible pharmacodynamic interactions between fenoprofen and other drugs, e.g. aspirin and phenobarbital, are discussed, and the evidence is reviewed that at equi-effective doses fenoprofen causes less gastro-intestinal microbleeding than does aspirin.