What is Ultravana®
Ultravana® contains the NSAID naproxen, recommended by NICE as a first-line analgesic for dysmenorrhoea1.
Ultravana contains the NSAID naproxen 250 mg (in a gastro resistant tablet) for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea in women aged 15 to 50 years3. Patients with dysmenorrhoea can experience pain for up to 72 hours1. Ultravana provides long-lasting pain relief 4,5,6.
Naproxen acts by inhibiting both the COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes to reduce pain and fever and exert an anti-inflammatory action19 - see Figure 1. The COX enzymes act on arachidonic acid, which is released by the endometrium during menstruation7,12 with tissue breakdown during this time also contributing to prostaglandin release12,22.
Ultravana® efficacy in managing dysmenorrhoea
The most recent Cochrane review of NSAIDs in dysmenorrhoea concluded7:
“NSAIDs appear to be a very effective treatment for dysmenorrhoea…there is insufficient evidence to determine which (if any) individual NSAID is the safest and most effective for the treatment of dysmenorrhoea”.
Given this, patient preference is important as an NSAID recommendation cannot be made based on efficacy or safety alone. Determining how critical long-lasting relief is to the patient experiencing dysmenorrhoea is essential. As Ultravana contains naproxen4,5,6, it can provide long-lasting relief to help them get through the day or night.
This long-lasting benefit has been seen in a study comparing a single dose of naproxen 440 mg (please note this is lower than the initial Ultravana dose of 500 mg3) against the maximum dose of paracetamol 1000 mg in dental pain. This study found naproxen had superior total pain relief over 12 hours, compared with paracetamol23 - see Figure 2.
In addition, another single dose study in dental pain using the same 440 mg naproxen dose compared with maximum OTC dose ibuprofen (400 mg) also found the former provided significantly longer pain relief5 - see Figure 3.
Figure 2: Mean pain relief over 12 hours with naproxen 440 mg vs paracetamol 1000mg23
Figure 3: Mean pain relief over 24 hours with naproxen 440mg vs ibuprofen 400mg5
Why the Ultravana® formulation is important
Ultravana is available in a gastro-resistant formulation that does not disintegrate in the stomach. Instead, it disintegrates once it reaches the small intestine. As such, the delayed absorption seen with enteric-coated tablet formulations aims to minimise the risk of adverse GI effects seen with NSAIDs and is of value in patients where gastric dissolution is undesirable3.