Journal of Orthopedics & Rheumatology
Research Article
Clinicians' Preferences and Perspectives on the use of Polmacoxib for Managing Osteoarthritis
Manjula S and Krishna Kumar M
Department of Medical Services, Micro Labs Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
*Address for Correspondence:Dr Manjula S, Department of Medical Services, Micro Labs
Limited, Bangalore, Karnataka, India. Email Id: drmanjulas@gmail.com
Submission: 20 May 2025
Accepted: 17 July 2025
Published: 18 July 2025
Copyright: ©2025 Manjula S, et al. This is an open access article
distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Keywords:Polmacoxib; Osteoarthritis; Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs; Expert Perspectives
Abstract
Objective:To gather clinicians' preferences and perspectives on
managing osteoarthritis (OA) using polmacoxib in Indian settings.
Methodology:The cross-sectional study was conducted using a 23-item, multiple-response questionnaire to collect perspectives from specialists experienced in managing OA in routine clinical practice in India. The study included questions on current prescription practices, clinical observations, preferences, and experiences related to polmacoxib use in OA treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and categorical variables were presented as percentages to provide a clear understanding of their distribution.
Results:The study included responses from 281 clinicians. Among them, 45% reported prescribing polmacoxib to 26–50% of their OA patients. Additionally, 48% indicated that polmacoxib is more commonly used in OA patients with comorbid conditions. According to 54% of respondents, the key advantages of polmacoxib include its novel tissue-specific transport mechanism that ensures sustained drug delivery to inflamed tissues, lack of COX-2 inhibition in calcium rich tissues, and a favorable tolerability profile, particularly in terms of cardiovascular, renal, and gastrointestinal safety. Nearly 86% of participants highlighted several benefits of polmacoxib over etoricoxib, such as greater potency at a lower dose (2 mg/day versus 60–120 mg/ day for etoricoxib), a lower risk of gastrointestinal side effects, and tissue selectivity. Approximately 86% of experts identified the unique features of polmacoxib as including a faster onset of symptom relief, convenience of once-daily dosing, the lowest recommended NSAID dose (2 mg/day), significantly improved gastrointestinal safety, and enhanced cardiovascular safety due to its tissue-selective COX-2 inhibition.
Conclusion:The study highlights the preference among Indian clinicians for the use of polmacoxib in OA management, especially in patients with comorbidities. Clinicians cited its tissue-selective action, low effective dose, improved gastrointestinal and cardiovascular safety, and once-daily dosing as key advantages. Overall, polmacoxib is perceived as a potent, well-tolerated alternative to traditional NSAIDs in clinical practice.
Methodology:The cross-sectional study was conducted using a 23-item, multiple-response questionnaire to collect perspectives from specialists experienced in managing OA in routine clinical practice in India. The study included questions on current prescription practices, clinical observations, preferences, and experiences related to polmacoxib use in OA treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data, and categorical variables were presented as percentages to provide a clear understanding of their distribution.
Results:The study included responses from 281 clinicians. Among them, 45% reported prescribing polmacoxib to 26–50% of their OA patients. Additionally, 48% indicated that polmacoxib is more commonly used in OA patients with comorbid conditions. According to 54% of respondents, the key advantages of polmacoxib include its novel tissue-specific transport mechanism that ensures sustained drug delivery to inflamed tissues, lack of COX-2 inhibition in calcium rich tissues, and a favorable tolerability profile, particularly in terms of cardiovascular, renal, and gastrointestinal safety. Nearly 86% of participants highlighted several benefits of polmacoxib over etoricoxib, such as greater potency at a lower dose (2 mg/day versus 60–120 mg/ day for etoricoxib), a lower risk of gastrointestinal side effects, and tissue selectivity. Approximately 86% of experts identified the unique features of polmacoxib as including a faster onset of symptom relief, convenience of once-daily dosing, the lowest recommended NSAID dose (2 mg/day), significantly improved gastrointestinal safety, and enhanced cardiovascular safety due to its tissue-selective COX-2 inhibition.
Conclusion:The study highlights the preference among Indian clinicians for the use of polmacoxib in OA management, especially in patients with comorbidities. Clinicians cited its tissue-selective action, low effective dose, improved gastrointestinal and cardiovascular safety, and once-daily dosing as key advantages. Overall, polmacoxib is perceived as a potent, well-tolerated alternative to traditional NSAIDs in clinical practice.