Indomethacin and tolmetin are non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, both of acute flares and longterm management of the disease. Their use is often limited by the frequent adverse reactions affecting both the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system. The side effects are also a consequence of high plasma levels following administration of conventional formulations. This problem could probably be reduced by a formulation able to control the drug release. Another factor requiring a controlled release formulation is the short half-life of these drugs (t 1/2 = 2 hours for indomethacin and 1 hour for tolmetin).
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