THE first human trials of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that is claimed to be as potent as existing drugs but with fewer side effects are set to start within a year.
Traditional NSAIDs, such as indomethacin, reduce inflammation by blocking Cox 1 and Cox 2 enzymes. But Cox 1 protects the gut lining, so the drugs can cause ulcers. Adding copper ions to indomethacin prevents the drug interacting with Cox 1 in the gut, says Peter Lay of the University of Sydney, Australia. Animal tests show his team’s latest formulation reduces stomach ulcers by 80 per cent with no intestinal ulceration…
