Co-crystal of tramadol-celecoxib: preclinical and clinical evaluation of a novel analgesic

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Pain management is a major unmet need due to the suboptimal efficacy and undesirable side effects of current analgesics. Multimodal therapies recruiting complementary mechanisms of action may help address this. Co-crystals incorporating two active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) constitute an innovative approach to multimodal therapy, particularly if modification of the physicochemical properties of constituent APIs can be translated into clinical benefits.Areas covered: The preclinical and clinical profiles of Co-Crystal of Tramadol-Celecoxib (CTC), a novel API–API co-crystal (1:1 molecular ratio of rac-tramadol.hydrochloride and celecoxib) are described.Expert opinion: CTC may provide a relevant addition to pain therapy due to its: i) unique co-crystal structure conferring differentiated intrinsic dissolution profiles on constituent APIs, ii) modified clinical pharmacokinetics (slower absorption of tramadol and faster absorption of celecoxib) compared with commercially available ...