[Hepatotoxicity induced by Droxicam: presentation of 4 cases]

Hepatotoxicity has been reported with most of the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID). We describe four patients who presented hepatic injury after of treatment with Droxicam, a new NSAID prodrug of piroxicam. Hepatitis was attributed to Droxicam because of the absence of other etiological factors, temporal relation with drug administration, clinical, laboratory and histological picture and evolution favorable after the drug suppression. The hepatic injury was manifested as cholestasis and withdrawal of the drug was followed by biochemical and clinical improvement until the complete normalization in three of the four patients. Postmarketing surveillance is necessary in new drugs with unknown hepatotoxicity.