Bupivacaine/Meloxicam Prolonged Release: A Review in Postoperative Pain.

Poorly managed pain after surgery can lead to decreased quality of life, longer recovery time and a higher risk of complications. Perioperative local anaesthetics are commonly used to manage postoperative pain, but these drugs have a short duration of action. Bupivacaine/meloxicam PR (Zynrelef^®) is a long-acting FDC of the local anaesthetic bupivacaine and the NSAID meloxicam approved for the treatment of postoperative pain. Following application without a needle into the surgical site, the active ingredients are simultaneously released for ≈ 3 days. Bupivacaine/meloxicam PR significantly reduced postoperative pain and opioid consumption and increased the proportion of opioid-free patients following bunionectomy, herniorrhaphy and TKA. When used as the foundation of a scheduled non-opioid MMA regimen, bupivacaine/meloxicam PR further reduced pain and the need for opioids. Bupivacaine/meloxicam PR had a similar tolerability profile to those of bupivacaine hydrochloride and placebo, with a lower incidence of opioid-related adverse events. Bupivacaine/meloxicam PR is a promising non-opioid treatment option for managing postoperative pain.