[Drug synergism in analgesia treated with ibuprofen and codeine]

One of the principal characteristics of a good pharmacological combination is drug synergism. A new analgesic combination of ibuprofen, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, used frequently in clinical practice due to good quotient of efficacy and safety, and codeine, a minor opiate used very much as second analgesic step in combination, has recently come on the market. We have conducted a review in MEDLINE of the principal studies published in the medical literature as regards the efficacy and safety of both drugs separately and finally, a review of the clinical experience showed in studies with analgesic combinations in general and on the hypothesis of a possible drug synergism between NSAIDs and Opiates.