Meloxicam in acute UV dermatitis — a pilot study

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Abstract
The non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug (NSAID) meloxicam is a preferential cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) antagonist. The UV protective potential of this drug was studied to compare it with the reported beneficial effects of such preferentially COX‐1 specific NSAIDs as indomethacin and acetylsalicylic acid in the literature. In a pilot study (open‐label, non‐randomized, non‐controlled, unblinded), 10 patients received UV irradiation with the minimal erythema dose (MED), first with meloxicam (7.5 mg/die) to reduce post‐operative pain and second without ingestion of meloxicam. The factor of UV protection was evaluated. In six of ten patients meloxicam showed no benefit, whereas four of ten patients had a 1.3‐ up to 3‐fold UV protection. In this study, the benefit in UV protection of meloxicam as a prefential COX‐2 antagonist was not above the reported benefit of the “old” COX‐1 inhibiting NSAIDS.