meloxicam: clinical implications of the selective inhibition of cyclooxygenase – BG 1997 – Vol 10 nº 2 Meloxicam is a new non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of recent commercialization, which is strongly promoted on the grounds that it selectively inhibits cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2). In 1971 it was discovered that NSAIDs inhibit cyclooxygenase, an enzyme involved in the synthesis of prostaglandins.1 It was subsequently found that the most frequent unwanted effects of NSAIDs, such as gastrointestinal toxicity and sodium and water retention, also – They were also due – at least in part – to inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis in the stomach or in the renal medulla, respectively. More recently, two isoenzymes of cyclooxygenase have been identified.