Topical Gels As Good As Oral Anti-Inflammatories

Can topical gels and patches reduce inflammation and reduce pain as well as NSAIDs taken orally? The answer, according to the Wall Street Journal, is “sometimes.” The other answer is Don’t forget that the topical drugs are available in the United States only by prescription. The Journal quotes Jeff Sherman, chief medical officer of Horizon Pharma PLC of Dublin, who explains that the topical medications work the same way as oral drugs, by inhibiting enzymes involved in pain and inflammation, but they go directly through skin and underlying tissue to the problem area, instead of first traveling through the bloodstream. For that reason, many doctors think topicals are the safer choice. We are talking about products like Horizon’s Pennsaid 2%, which is to be used twice a day for arthritis pain, Voltaren Gel, sold by Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Malvern, Pa., a four-times-daily treatment for knee arthritis; and Flector Patch, sold by Pfizer Inc. and applied twice a day for sprains and strains. David Jevsevar, acting chairman of orthopedics at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., and chairman of an expert panel that developed the 2012 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons guidelines on knee arthritis, says available data suggests that the topicals “can work as effectively” as oral drugs.  Read more in the Wall Street Journal.