Oxicam

Oxicam is a class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that bind closely to plasma proteins. Most oxicams are unselective inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. The exception is meloxicam with a slight (10:1) preference for COX-2, which, however, is only clinically relevant at low doses.

Examples include:

Chemistry

The physico-chemical characteristics of these molecules vary greatly depending upon the environment.

In contrast to most other NSAIDs, oxicams are not carboxylic acids. They are tautomeric and can exist as number of tautomers (keto-enol tautomerism), here exemplified by piroxicam:

References