The chemistry, pharmacology and clinical pharmacology of diflunisal

Studies are reviewed on diflunisal, a new analgesic agent with an improved therapeutic index, compared with acetylsalicylic acid, in animals and humans. Pharmacokinetic data indicate that a twice-daily dosage regimen of diflunisal is adequate for therapeutic purposes. Diflunisal inhibits prostaglandin E synthesis, but in humans at clinically effective doses it does not alter bleeding time or platelet aggregation. Diflunisal is uricosuric at clinically effective doses. No clinically important drug interactions with diflunisal have been found to date, although some slight alterations in blood and urine drug levels have been noted. The slight increase in prothrombin time seen when diflunisal and acenocoumarol were co-administered is not considered to be of major clinical importance.