Pharmacotherapeutic group: Antiinflammatory and antirheumatic products, non-steroids.
ATCvet code: QM01AE91
Carprofen possesses anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antipyretic activity. Like most other NSAID’s, carprofen is an inhibitor of the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase of the arachidonic acid cascade. However, the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by carprofen is slight in relation to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic potency. The precise mode of action of carprofen is not clear.
Carprofen is a chiral drug with the S(+) enantiomer being more active than the R(-) enantiomer. There is no chiral inversion between the enantiomers in-vivo.Carprofen is well absorbed after oral administration (>90%) and is highly protein bound. Peak plasma concentrations are achieved between 1 h and 3 h after administration.Carprofen is characterized by a half-life of approximately 10 hours in dogs. In cats , the elimination half-life is longer ranging from 9-49 hours after intravenous administration (mean of 20 hrs).