It is distinguished by a pronounced analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect in combination with a favorable safety profile.

The company Akrikhin is introducing a new molecule of partially selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug of South Korean origin, pelubiprofen¹, to the Russian market. The drug will help people with back pain, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis to block pain and inflammation.

According to recent World Health Organization (WHO) data, 570 million people² in the world suffer from non-specific back pain (NBP), which makes it one of the leading causes of temporary disability among musculoskeletal diseases. It is also the most common (up to 90%) cause of both acute³ and chronic back pain⁴. In Russia, every fourth person experiences back pain or suffers from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis⁵. General practitioners, neurosurgeons, and rheumatologists annually prescribe 9.4 million non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to Russians⁶ to treat these diseases.

Partially selective non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug «AKRIKHIN» with the active substance pelubiprofen, in addition to blocking the enzyme cyclooxygenase types 1 and 2, suppresses the pro-inflammatory intracellular signaling pathway and the synthesis of cytokines, which can enhance the anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the drug. Clinical studies have demonstrated a pronounced analgesic effect and confirmed the favorable safety profile of the drug even with long-term (up to 6 weeks) use^7,8,9.

With the appearance of the pelibuprofen molecule in Russia, doctors and patients will have another NSAID in their arsenal. This will allow a flexible approach to therapy, — noted Denis Chetverikov, the President of the company Akrikhin.

The drug with the active ingredient pelibuprofen will be available in retail in packages of 20 and 30 tablets in a dosage of 30 mg, starting in February.

List of sources:

1. Unified State Register of Medicines: https://grls.rosminzdrav.ru/Grls_View_v2.aspx?routingGuid=85549d21-78aa-4899-a719-0ec5c4a235a8 Access date: 17.01.2025
2. WHO factsheet Musculoskeletal health 14.07.2022. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/musculoskeletal-conditions
3. Parfenov V.A., et al. Acute nonspecific (musculoskeletal) low back pain. Recommendations of the Russian Society for the Study of Pain. Neurology, neuropsychiatry, psychosomatics. 2018;10(2):4-11.
4. Parfenov V.A., et al. Chronic nonspecific (musculoskeletal) low back pain. Recommendations of the Russian Society for the Study of Pain (RSSP). Neurology, neuropsychiatry, psychosomatics. 2019;11(2S):7-16.
5. PrIndex «Drug prescription monitoring» Q3 2024
6. PrIndex «Drug prescription monitoring» Q3 2024
7. Shin, J.-S., Baek, S. R., Sohn, S., Cho, Y., & Lee, K.-T. (2011). Anti-inflammatory effect of pelubiprofen, mediated by dual suppression of COX activity and LPS-induced inflammatory gene expression via NF-κB inactivation. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, 112(12), 3594–3603.
8. Shin JY, et al. Efficacy and safety of short-term use of a pelubiprofen CR and aceclofenac in patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis: A double-blinded, randomized, multicenter, active drug comparative, parallel-group, phase IV, non-inferiority clinical trial. PLoS One. 2020 Sep 29;15(9):e0238024
9. Choi IA, Baek HJ, Cho CS, et al. Comparison of the efficacy and safety profiles of a pelubiprofen versus celecoxib in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a 6-week, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, phase III, non-inferiority clinical trial. BMC Musculoskeletal Disord. 2014 Nov 18; 15:375.