The pharmacology and pharmacokinetics of azapropazone - a review.

The pharmacology and pharmacokinetic properties of azapropazone, a new anti-inflammatory analgesic, are reviewed. Anti-inflammatory activity was assessed by standard in vivo and in vitro methods. The drug was shown to have definite activity with a potency approximately half that of phenylbutazone. Azapropazone was absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract in animals and man, although wide inter-species variation in pharmacokinetic properties was noted. In man, the biological half life was approximately 20 hours. Azapropazone is not extensively metabolised and most metabolites have been identified and assayed.