Parecoxib for Acute Pain Management in the Emergency Department: A Narrative Review

Authors

  • Thampron Thongphan Department of Emergency Medicine, Bangkok Hospital Headquarters

Keywords:

parecoxib, acute pain, emergency department, multimodal analgesia, COX-2

Abstract

Parecoxib is an injectable COX-2 selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug with properties that make it suitable for use in the emergency department (ED). This narrative review aims to summarize the current evidence on the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of parecoxib, as well as its role in multimodal analgesia for ED patients. Available data suggest that parecoxib provides analgesia comparable to nonselective NSAIDs without clear impairment of platelet function and may be associated with a lower risk of gastrointestinal adverse events. These characteristics indicate that parecoxib could be a useful non-opioid component of multimodal pain management in the ED. Nevertheless, its use should be individualized, avoiding administration in patients with hypersensitivity to parecoxib, celecoxib, or severe sulfonamide allergy, using caution in patients with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, and avoiding use in those with severe renal impairment. However, ED-specific studies remain limited, and further well-designed clinical trials are needed to better define the role of parecoxib in the management of acute pain in the ED.

References

Fabbri A, Voza A, Riccardi A, Serra S, De Iaco F. The pain management of trauma patients in the emergency department. J Clin Med 2023;12(9):3289. doi:10.3390/jcm12093289.

Zanza C, Romenskaya T, Zuliani M, Piccolella F, Bottinelli M, Caputo G, et al. Acute traumatic pain in the emergency department. Diseases 2023;11(1):45. doi:10.3390/diseases11010045.

Cryer B, Feldman M. Cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 selectivity of widely used nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Am J Med 1998;104(5):413-21. doi:10.1016/s0002-9343(98)00091-6.

Amabile CM, Spencer AP. Parecoxib for parenteral analgesia in postsurgical patients. Ann Pharmacother 2004;38(5): 882-6. doi:10.1345/aph.1D283.

Jain KK. Evaluation of intravenous parecoxib for the relief of acute post-surgical pain. Expert Opin Investig Drugs 2000;9(11): 2717-23. doi:10.1517/13543784.9.11.2717.

Karim A, Laurent A, Slater ME, Kuss ME, Qian J, Crosby-Sessoms SL, et al. A pharmacokinetic study of intramuscular (i.m.) parecoxib sodium in normal subjects. J Clin Pharmacol 2001;41(10): 1111-9. doi:10.1177/00912700122012607.

Glina S, Damiao R, Afif-Abdo J, Santa Maria CF, Novoa R, Cairoli CED, et al. Efficacy and safety of parecoxib in the treatment of acute renal colic: a randomized clinical trial. Int Braz J Urol 2011;37(6):697-705. doi:10.1590/s1677-55382011000600003.

Baharuddin KA, Rahman NHN, Wahab SFA, Halim NA, Ahmad R. Intravenous parecoxib sodium as an analgesic alternative to morphine in acute trauma pain in the emergency department. Int J Emerg Med 2014;7(1):2. doi:10.1186/1865-1380-7-2.

Daniels SE, Grossman EH, Kuss ME, Talwalker S, Hubbard RC. A double-blind, randomized comparison of intramuscularly and intravenously administered parecoxib sodium versus ketorolac and placebo in a post-oral surgery pain model. Clin Ther 2001;23(7):1018-31. doi:10.1016/s0149-2918(01)80088-6.

Al-Terki A, Hussain J, El-Nahas AR, Aloumi A, Al-Asfoor M, Altamimi AA, et al. Parecoxib vs paracetamol for treatment of acute renal colic due to ureteric calculi: a randomized controlled trial. Urology 2021;149:76-80. doi:10.1016/j.urology.2020.12.017.

Schug SA, Palmer GM, Scott DA, Alcock M, Halliwell R, Mott JF, editors. Acute Pain Management: Scientific Evidence. 5th ed. Melbourne: Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists and Faculty of Pain Medicine; 2020.

Schug SA, Joshi GP, Camu F, Pan S, Cheung R. Cardiovascular safety of the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors parecoxib and valdecoxib in the postoperative setting: an analysis of integrated data. Anesth Analg 2009;108(1):299-307. doi:10.1213/ane.0b013e31818ca3ac.

Zhang J, Ding EL, Song Y. Adverse effects of cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors on renal and arrhythmia events: meta-analysis of randomized trials. JAMA 2006;296(13): 1619-32. doi:10.1001/jama.296.13.jrv60015.

Schug SA, Parsons B, Li C, Xia F. The safety profile of parecoxib for the treatment of postoperative pain: a pooled analysis of 28 randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled clinical trials and a review of over 10 years of postauthorization data. J Pain Res 2017;10:2451-9. doi:10.2147/JPR.S136052.

Downloads

Published

2026-08-21

How to Cite

1.
Thongphan T. Parecoxib for Acute Pain Management in the Emergency Department: A Narrative Review. TJEM [internet]. 2026 Aug. 21 [cited 2026 Sep. 10];8(1):56-6. available from: https://he02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/TJEM/article/view/280878