Affiliation:
1. Department of Population Health and Pathobiology North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
2. Food Animal Residue Avoidance Databank (FARAD) North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
3. Comparative Medicine Institute North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
4. Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences North Carolina State University Raleigh North Carolina USA
Abstract
AbstractFlunixin meglumine is a nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug approved to manage pyrexia associated with swine respiratory disease. In the United States, no analgesic drugs are approved for use in swine by the FDA, although they are needed to manage painful conditions. This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics and relative bioavailability of intranasal versus intramuscular flunixin in grower pigs. Six pigs received 2.2 mg/kg flunixin either intranasally via atomizer or intramuscularly before receiving flunixin via the opposite route following a 5‐day washout period. Plasma samples were collected over 60 h and analysed using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry to detect flunixin plasma concentrations. A non‐compartmental pharmacokinetic analysis was performed. The median Cmax was 4.0 μg/mL and 2.7 μg/mL for intramuscular and intranasal administration, respectively, while the median AUCinf was 6.9 h μg/mL for intramuscular administration and 4.9 h μg/mL for intranasal administration. For both routes, the median Tmax was 0.2 h, and flunixin was detectable in some samples up to 60 h post‐administration. Intranasal delivery had a relative bioavailability of 88.5%. These results suggest that intranasal flunixin has similar, although variable, pharmacokinetic parameters to the intramuscular route, making it a viable route of administration for use in grower swine.
Funder
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Subject
General Veterinary,Pharmacology