Meloxicam in the Environment: Pathways of Entry, Ecotoxicity, and Removal Strategies

Meloxicam, a selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor, is commonly used as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in both human and veterinary medicine. Owing to its heterocyclic structure, toxicity to invertebrates, vertebrates, and microorganisms, and potential to biomagnify through the food webs, meloxicam persists in the environment and poses a risk to ecological health. There is still a paucity of information on meloxicam as a pharmaceutical contaminant. It is not included in priority lists, which means its environmental risk is often underestimated. This paper provides an integrative overview of the currently available literature (2009–2026) on the environmental occurrences, ecotoxicity, transport pathways, and removal strategies of meloxicam. The distribution of meloxicam has been most extensively studied in aquatic environments, whereas information on soils, plants, and terrestrial fauna remains limited. Bioaugmentation is the most promising strategy for reducing ecotoxicological risk, although its effectiveness against meloxicam has so far been confirmed only in a few model systems. The evidence presented here underscores the importance of strict regulation of meloxicam use and routine environmental monitoring. We hope this review will be useful to ecologists, microbiologists, and regulatory agencies developing strategies to mitigate pharmaceutical contamination.