Features of Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and the Relevance of Creating New Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

The general reaction of the body to injury or infection is called inflammation. A short-term reaction to injury or infection is called an acute inflammatory process. At this stage, the immune system releases a large number of white blood cells to surround and protect the affected area. This leads to redness and swelling. Thus, inflammation is crucial, because without it, simple infections can pose a threat. However, prolonged or persistent inflammation is the main cause of many inflammatory diseases, including cancer. NSAIDs are known as one of the most popular medications due to their ability to reduce pain and inflammation. This confirms their place in the WHO model list of essential medicines. Data on the global burden of disease over the years show that musculoskeletal complications are becoming more common, making the use of NSAIDs inevitable. In addition to their analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic properties, NSAIDs protect against a number of serious diseases such as cancer and heart attacks. In this regard, despite the increase in the share of biological drugs for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, low-molecular-weight drugs continue to dominate the pharmaceutical industry. Recent advances in deciphering the ability of low-molecular-weight drugs to alter interactions between proteins in vivo have opened up fantastic opportunities for the development of new low-molecular-weight drugs for the treatment of inflammation and various other diseases.