Compounding Iron Dextran with NSAIDs for Use in Piglets at Time of Processing

Posted in: Ontario Pork, Pork Insight Articles by admin on August 18, 2015

The objective of this project was to evaluate whether the mixing (compounding) of NSAIDs (anti-inflammatory/analgesic agents), such as meloxicam or flunixin meglumine, with iron dextran for administration to piglets at the time of processing has any effects on the availability of the NSAID. In a series of experiments, we evaluated the stability and systemic availability of both NSAIDs when mixed with iron dextran in the same bottle for administration to piglets at the time of processing.  We also evaluated the effects of this practice on iron dextran’s ability to increase piglet hemoglobin concentrations.   We found that the amount of NSAID recovered from the bottle was reduced beginning shortly after mixing.  We also found that blood drug levels measured in piglets for each NSAID when compounded with iron dextran was significantly lower than when each NSAID was administered alone to piglets.  We did not find any significant effects of mixing NSAIDs with iron dextran on iron dextran’s ability to increase hemoglobin following administration to piglets.  The overall conclusion from these experiments is that the mixing of NSAIDs with iron dextran in the same bottle for administration to piglets at the time of processing results in a suspected drug interaction that reduces the shelf-life of the formulation and the amount of NSAID available for therapeutic effects.

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