Piroxicam

Chronic pain of the musculoskeletal system, such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, has a long course and is prone to recurrence. The stability of anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of long-term medication is the core clinical demand. As a classic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), piroxicam reduces the synthesis of prostaglandins by reversibly inhibiting the activity of cyclooxygenase, and has the triple effects of anti-inflammation, analgesia and antipyresis. Compared with short-acting drugs of the same category, it has a long half-life of 50 hours, and only once-daily administration is required to maintain stable plasma concentration. In addition to oral administration, it can also be formulated into topical gel to relieve local pain. It is widely used for symptom control of adult osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, as well as short-term analgesia after acute gout and sports injury, and is one of the basic drugs for clinical stepwise treatment of chronic pain.

The global market size of piroxicam preparations is approximately USD 320 million. Driven by population aging and the rising prevalence of musculoskeletal diseases, the compound annual growth rate is maintained at around 2.1%. As a classic drug that has been on the market for more than 40 years, its market is dominated by generic drugs, with generic drugs accounting for more than 90% in Europe and the United States. China is the world's largest producer of piroxicam API, with an annual output of more than 200 tons, and nearly 70% of the output is exported to supply generic pharmaceutical enterprises around the world. The domestic preparation market has completed multiple rounds of provincial centralized procurement, and the winning bid price has dropped by about 45% compared with the previous level, significantly improving the accessibility of medication.

The original developer of piroxicam is Pfizer, and the original brand name is Feldene. Its core compound patent expired globally in 1992. The main dosage forms approved for the original drug include tablets (10mg, 20mg), capsules (10mg, 20mg) and topical gel (0.5%), among which the original 20mg tablet has been included in the FDA Reference Listed Drug Catalog and China's *Catalog of Reference Preparations for Chemical Drugs*. As of now, there are 12 piroxicam API registration records on the API registration platform of China's CDE, 8 of which are in status A (approved for use in marketed preparations). More than 30 domestic enterprises have been approved to produce piroxicam oral preparations, topical gels and other products. (Data as of July 2025, please refer to the official CDE website for the latest information)

CATO provides a full set of impurity reference standards for piroxicam API, which strictly meet the requirements of multiple regulatory systems such as Chinese Pharmacopoeia and FDA. Most products are in regular stock. For spot orders placed before 16:00, delivery can be made on the same day, which can fully meet the full-process demands of API enterprises and preparation R&D institutions for quality research, stability investigation, declaration and registration, etc.