Meloxicam (MLX), a selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitor, is widely used for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. However, due to its poor water solubility, the existing oral, injectable and topical gel formulations suffer from drawbacks including low bioavailability, gastrointestinal adverse reactions, insufficient long-acting properties and low target-site concentration. Dosage form optimization represents a key breakthrough to improve its clinical efficacy and safety. This paper reviews the technical pathways for MLX dosage form optimization in the past five years, focusing on three major directions: the improvement of oral drug delivery systems, the development of local targeted preparations and the construction of injectable drug delivery systems. The advantages, disadvantages and clinical translation potential of different technical routes are compared, aiming to provide technical references for the development of related formulations.

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