Ibuprofen, one of the most popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in the world, went to treatment over 50 years ago. The drug is present in medicine in a wide range of doses and numerous drug forms for oral, rectal, and external administration. As this compound is characterized by high lipophilicity, obtaining a stable aqueous solution was a challenge for technologists. The intravenous form of ibuprofen has only been available on the Polish pharmaceutical market for a year; these are infusion solutions in two doses: 400 mg/100 mL and 600 mg/100 mL containing arginine as an excipient.

There are many reports in the available literature on decreasing rate of fever after intravenous ibuprofen administration and its effectiveness in the treatment of postoperative pain in children and adults. The benefit of the analgesic use of ibuprofen is to reduce the doses of tramadol, morphine, or fentanyl. In addition to these applications, the drug is used in the pharmacological treatment of patent ductus arteriosus. In this case, its effectiveness is the same as that of indomethacin with a better safety profile.

It should be noted that the pharmacokinetics of the compound after intravenous administration is influenced by the infusion time and the general condition of the patient. Because ibuprofen is metabolized by cytochrome P450 2C9, it interacts with rifampicin, carbamazepine, clopidogrel, azole antifungals, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors antidepressants.

Although ibuprofen lysine intravenous solutions have proven compatibility with other intravenous medications, there is no information on the compatibility of ibuprofen arginine formulations, so these pharmaceutical preparations cannot be combined with others in a single infusion.

Currently, the intravenous form of ibuprofen registered in Poland is indicated only for the treatment of pain in adults. The results of numerous scientific studies still allow us to hope for new directions of ibuprofen application in the future.