Investigation of the clinical efficacy, safety and palatability of meloxicam (Metacam®) treatment in horses with musculosceletal disorders

This GCP(v) multi centre blinded positive controlled study investigated under field conditions the clinical efficacy, safety and palatability of meloxicam in horses suffering from musculoskeletal disorders. The efficacy of meloxicam (Metacam(R)) at the recommended dose of 0.6 mg/kg body weight administered once daily was investigated (n= 100) in comparison to vedaprofen (Quadrisol(R), n=97). Lameness at a trot, walk and rest was recorded before initiation of therapy on Day I, after a 5, 10 or 14 day treatment period and during the follow-up examination, performed 2 to 4 days after the respective last treatment. The duration of treatment (5, 10 or 14 days) was decided by the veterinarian depending on the clinical condition. Furthermore palatability and relapse rates were recorded. Significantly better results (p <= 0.01) for lameness at a trot (primary clinical variable) after 14 days of treatment, and at the follow-up examination (p <= 0.001), were found in the meloxicam group compared to the reference group. Significant differences (p <= 0.05) in lameness at walk occurred in favour of meloxicam at the follow-up examination on Day 14. A significant superiority in lameness at a trot (p <= 0.001) and walk (p <= 0.01) was revealed in favour of meloxicam for the evaluation at the time point when therapy was judged no longer necessary. Fewer meloxicam cases showed relapse to lameness (p <= 0.05). Furthermore, meloxicam was superior (p <= 0.001) with regard to overall efficacy and palatability. No adverse events occurred in the meloxicam group compared to two cases in the reference group. The results indicate that 0.6 mg meloxicam/kg bodyweight administered orally once daily is an efficacious, safe, easy to use, and highly palatable NSAID treatment for reduction of inflammation and relief of pain associated with lameness in both acute and chronic musculoskeletal disorders and soft tissue lesions.