Comparing Pharmacokinetics of Meloxicam When Administered With a Needle‐Free Injection Device Versus Needle‐And‐Syringe in Piglets

Meloxicam is a common analgesic for castration in pigs. While needle‐free technology is effective for swine vaccination, its implementation for administering meloxicam has not been fully explored. The objective of this study was to compare the pharmacokinetics (PK) of meloxicam administered via a commercial needle‐free injection device (NFID) and intramuscularly via needle‐and‐syringe (NS) in nursing piglets. Twenty‐six nursing piglets were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups receiving the same approved label dosage of 0.4 mg/kg of meloxicam. Plasma meloxicam concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, and PK profiles were measured using non‐compartmental analysis. The results indicated C max , AUC 0–last , AUC 0–∞ , AUMC 0–last , AUMC 0–∞ , and MRT in the NFID group were all significantly lower compared with those of the NS group ( p < 0.05). No differences in T max , T 1/2 , and λ z were found between the two groups ( p > 0.05). The study concluded that further research is needed to determine the optimal NFID setting and the clinical efficacy when using NFID for injecting meloxicam in piglets.