Oxicam are members of a class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, usually abbreviated to NSAIDs or NAIDs, but also referred to as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents/analgesics or nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory medicines , are drugs with analgesic and antipyretic effects and which have, in higher doses, anti-inflammatory...

s (NSAIDs) that bind closely to plasma proteins. Most oxicams are unselective inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase

Cyclooxygenase

Cyclooxygenase is an enzyme that is responsible for formation of important biological mediators called prostanoids, including prostaglandins, prostacyclin and thromboxane. Pharmacological inhibition of COX can provide relief from the symptoms of inflammation and pain...

 (COX) enzymes. The exception is meloxicam

Meloxicam

Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic and fever reducer effects. It is a derivative of oxicam, closely related to piroxicam, and falls in the enolic acid group of NSAIDs...

 with a slight (10:1) preference for COX-2, which, however, is only clinically relevant at low doses.

Examples include:

• Piroxicam
  Piroxicam
  Piroxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug of the oxicam class used to relieve the symptoms of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis, primary dysmenorrhoea, postoperative pain; and act as an analgesic, especially where there is an inflammatory component...
  
  
• Tenoxicam
  Tenoxicam
  Tenoxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug . It is manufactured by Roche under the trade name Mobiflex. It is available in the United Kingdom as a prescription-only drug. Tenoxicam belongs to the class of NSAIDs known as oxicams...
  
  
• Droxicam
  Droxicam
  Droxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug of the oxicam class....
  
  
• Lornoxicam
  Lornoxicam
  Lornoxicam is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug of the oxicam class with analgesic , anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties...
  
  
• Meloxicam
  Meloxicam
  Meloxicam is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with analgesic and fever reducer effects. It is a derivative of oxicam, closely related to piroxicam, and falls in the enolic acid group of NSAIDs...
  
  

Chemistry

The physico-chemical characteristics of these molecules vary greatly depending upon the environment.

In contrast to most other NSAIDs, cosas are not carboxylic acid

Carboxylic acid

Carboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of at least one carboxyl group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R-COOH, where R is some monovalent functional group...

s. They are still acidic because they contain a vinylogous

Vinylogous

Vinylogous is an adjective used to apply the concept of vinylogy taught in intermediate undergraduate through graduate/research organic chemistry. Vinylogy has been defined as the transmission of electronic effects through a conjugated organic bonding system...

 carboxylic acid that exhibits a form of keto-enol tautomerism

Keto-enol tautomerism

In organic chemistry, keto-enol tautomerism refers to a chemical equilibrium between a keto form and an enol . The enol and keto forms are said to be tautomers of each other...

, here exemplified by lornoxicam:

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