Methocarbamol

Musculoskeletal system diseases are often accompanied by intolerable acute pain and muscle spasm, and there has been a long-term clinical demand for symptomatic treatment drugs with both safety and effectiveness. Methocarbamol is a centrally acting muscle relaxant. It selectively inhibits the polysynaptic reflex pathways of the spinal cord and the central nervous system to reduce the overexcitation state of skeletal muscle, thereby relieving muscle spasm and the accompanying pain. It does not directly act on muscles and neuromuscular junctions. Clinically, it is mainly used to relieve pain and discomfort caused by acute musculoskeletal injuries such as sprain, strain and lumbar muscle strain, and can also be used as adjuvant therapy for muscle spasm symptoms caused by diseases such as neck-shoulder syndrome and sciatica. Its applicable population covers adult patients with acute muscle pain, and elderly patients can also use it safely after adjusting the dose as directed by a doctor.

The global market size of methocarbamol was approximately USD 320 million in 2023, and the compound annual growth rate from 2024 to 2030 is expected to maintain at around 4.7%. The growth is mainly driven by the rising incidence of sports injuries and the expansion of the patient population with chronic musculoskeletal diseases. In terms of the domestic market, this product has been included in the National Medical Insurance Catalog (Class B). The sales of hospital preparations exceeded RMB 210 million in 2023. Currently, generic drugs dominate the market, with a total of 13 preparation approvals and 7 API registration numbers approved. With the advancement of consistency evaluation, the demand for APIs of volume-based procurement related products continues to rise.

The original developer of methocarbamol is Johnson & Johnson, with the original brand name Robaxin. Its core compound patent in the United States expired in 1981. The main dosage forms of the original product include 500mg and 750mg oral tablets and 100mg/mL injection. Among them, the 500mg oral tablet has been included in the FDA Reference Listed Drug Catalog, and no original preparation has been approved for import in China yet. In terms of domestic APIs, 7 enterprises have completed the registration of methocarbamol APIs with status A in CDE, which can be associated with domestic preparation applications. In addition, more than 20 domestic preparation approvals have passed or are deemed to have passed the consistency evaluation. (Data as of June 2025, please refer to the official website of CDE for the latest information)

CATO provides a full set of impurity reference standards for methocarbamol API, which can fully meet the research needs of synthetic process impurities and degradation impurities of APIs. Most of the products are in stock. Orders for in-stock products placed before 16:00 will be shipped on the same day. All reference standards meet the compliance requirements of multiple regulations such as Chinese Pharmacopoeia and FDA, and can provide stable and reliable reference standard support for pharmaceutical enterprises in API quality research, consistency evaluation and registration declaration.