Dexketoprofen trometamol in post-operative pain management

Dexketoprofen trometamol is the dextrorotatory enantiomer of ketoprofen formulated as the tromethamine salt. Producing a single isomer formulation of ketoprofen simplifies the pharmacokinetics of the drug and allows a 50% reduction in dosage. This may reduce adverse effects by reducing metabolic and renal load. Formulation as the tromethamine salt results in faster absorption from the gut and therefore quicker onset of analgesia. This paper reviews studies of the use of dexketoprofen in acute postoperative pain, and concludes that it produces rapid and reliable onset of analgesia.