Pain and Inflammation
Pain can disrupt people's daily routine, preventing them from moving, working and living a normal life. That is why the history of pain relief is longand dates back to more than 5000 years ago.
Across Europe, around 500 million working days are lost every year as a result of chronic and acute pain, with an enormous social and economic impact.
Among various treatments available for pain, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs continue to be used extensively used extensively.
Diclofenac is the most widely prescribed NSAID worldwide, effective in a wide variety of conditions such as muscular, tendon and joint injuries, back pain, menstrual cramps, dental pain and headache.
The anti-inflammatory and pain relieving action of diclofenac is mainly related to the inhibition of COX-2, the isoform of cyclooxygenase involved in pain and inflammation development. In addition, diclofenac also has other anti-inflammatory and analgesic propertiesthat go well beyond the pure COX-2 inhibition. The diversity in diclofenac’s mechanisms of action may suggest potential for a relatively more favourable profile compared with other NSAIDs.
Innovative formulations containing a soluble salt of diclofenac (diclofenac epolamine) have been launched on the global market by IBSA. Thanks to its favourable characteristics, diclofenac epolamine provides optimal absorption and prompt relief from pain caused by soft tissue injury, musculoskeletal disorders and other clinical conditions characterized by acute and chronic pain.
Flector® EP Gel and Flector® EP Patch are among the best-known IBSA products. They effectively relieve pain, inflammation and swelling of the musculoskeletal system. In our market, diclofenac is found in several types of salts, but only IBSA products contain diclofenac epolamine. It is characterized by the fastest penetration to the site of pain of all diclofenac salts, which is important for rapid pain relief.
Diclofenac epolamine in Flector® EP Gel and Flector® EP Patch is able to penetrate through skin to the painful site more rapidly and in a targeted manner, directly into muscles and then the joint. It takes effect very quickly and the patient feels pain relief in 30 minutes on average.
Flector® EP Patch also ensures a long-term effect of treatment by continuous and progressive release of the active ingredient for 12 - 24 hours. Benefits of the patch include a more gentle effect on the entire organism, the patch acts directly and locally on the painful area for several hours and you can therefore avoid passing the medicine through your digestive system.
In addition, IBSA has recently developed a new version of the patch with added heparin as excipient and enhancer in order to increase the release of the active ingredient from the patch and subsequently its effectiveness. Flectopar® Patch is easy and comfortable to apply, once a day with the effect lasting 24 hours. The package available in the Slovak market contains 7 patches, each packed separately.
Flectopar® Patch is effective for sport injuries, such as sprain, stretch, contusion or for rehabilitation or post-immobilization pain.
Another innovation in this field is diclofenac in a pre-filled syringe used to control acute pain. Its subcutaneous administration has many benefits over intramuscular administration; moreover, this formulation allows the use of different doses for more acute and more targeted treatment. The product has recently been approved for bolus intravenous injection, where treatment or prevention of post-surgical pain in a hospital is required.
Available over-the-counter pharmaceutical forms:
FLECTOR EP Gel, dermal gel 1x60 g
FLECTOR EP Gel, dermal gel 1x100 g
FLECTOR EP Patch, medicated patch 2 pcs
FLECTOR EP Patch, medicated patch 5 pcs
FLECTOR EP Patch, medicated patch 10 pcs
FLECTOPAR medicated patch 7 pcs
