Flurbiprofen
Flurbiprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Flurbiprofen tablets relieve the signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, and flurbiprofen sodium eye drops are used during eye surgery.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 4 clinical label sets within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
Flurbiprofen is an older prescription NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug), on the market since about 1986 and available as a generic. The tablets ease rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis by blocking COX enzymes that make prostaglandins, the chemicals behind pain and inflammation, and the eye drops stop the pupil narrowing during eye surgery. Most people tolerate the tablets about as well as other NSAIDs, and stomach upset, heartburn or nausea are what they usually notice. The tablets carry a boxed warning for heart attack, stroke and stomach bleeding, which can come early and with no symptoms at first, so take the lowest dose for the shortest time.
Clinical pearls
- Do not add ibuprofen, naproxen or other NSAIDs, including over-the-counter ones, because they add stomach harm without extra relief.
- If you take low-dose aspirin for your heart, flurbiprofen does not replace it, and the pair raises bleeding risk.
- Tell your prescriber if you take warfarin, an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant, lithium or methotrexate, since each needs closer watching.
- It can blunt blood pressure medicines such as ACE inhibitors and diuretics, so recheck your readings after starting it.
Patient information guide A plain-language walkthrough of Flurbiprofen, written from its FDA label.
What Flurbiprofen is used for
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Flurbiprofen is an NSAID with different uses depending on the product.
- Flurbiprofen tablets (including Lurbiro), taken by mouth, relieve signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Flurbiprofen tablets (including Lurbiro) also relieve signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis.
- Flurbiprofen sodium eye drops are used to inhibit intraoperative miosis during eye surgery.
How Flurbiprofen works
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Flurbiprofen blocks COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, which makes prostaglandins. Prostaglandins help cause pain and inflammation. Lowering them in the body's tissues reduces pain, inflammation and fever.
The label notes that the exact mechanism is not completely understood.
Flurbiprofen dosage
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Flurbiprofen tablets are taken by mouth, divided into two, three or four doses a day. Your prescriber will aim for the lowest effective dose for the shortest time and may adjust it based on your response. Food or antacids can change how quickly it is absorbed, but not how much.
The eye drops are used only around eye surgery. One drop is placed about every half hour, starting 2 hours before surgery, for four drops total. Follow your prescriber and the label.
Dosing details from the FDA-approved label
From the Flurbiprofen prescribing information (“Dosage and Administration”). Doses are set by your prescriber for your product, condition, kidney function and age — never change a dose on your own.
- Rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis (signs and symptoms), oral tablets
- 200 to 300 mg per day, divided for administration two, three, or four times a day
- Maximum: The largest recommended single dose in a multiple-dose daily regimen is 100 mg
- Use the lowest effective dosage for the shortest duration; adjust dose and frequency to the individual patient's needs after observing response to initial therapy
- Ophthalmic solution (flurbiprofen sodium) - before surgery
- A total of four (4) drops, instilling one (1) drop approximately every 1/2 hour beginning 2 hours before surgery
Read the label’s full dosing text
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION A total of four (4) drops of Flurbiprofen Sodium Ophthalmic Solution should be administered by instilling one (1) drop approximately every 1/2 hour beginning 2 hours before surgery.
Read the full Dosage and Administration section on DailyMed →
Flurbiprofen side effects
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The most common side effects of the tablets are mostly stomach-related.
Common side effects
- Stomach pain
- Indigestion or heartburn
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Headache
- Swelling (edema)
- Signs suggesting a urinary tract infection
When to get medical help
- Get emergency help for chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness on one side of the body, or slurred speech. These can signal a heart attack or stroke.
- Call your doctor right away for black or bloody stools, vomiting blood, or severe stomach pain. These can signal bleeding or an ulcer.
- Seek emergency help for signs of a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis).
- Stop the medicine and call your doctor at the first sign of a skin rash or other allergic signs.
- Call your doctor for nausea, unusual tiredness, itching, yellow skin or eyes, right upper belly tenderness, or flu-like symptoms. These can signal liver problems.
- Tell your doctor about fever, rash, swollen glands or facial swelling. These can be signs of DRESS, a rare but serious reaction.
- Report new or worsening high blood pressure, swelling, or signs of worsening heart failure.
Flurbiprofen warnings and precautions
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- Heart attack and stroke: risk is higher with higher doses and longer use, and the tablets must not be used around CABG surgery.
- Stomach bleeding and ulcers: these can occur without warning and can be fatal. Risk is higher in older adults and those with prior ulcers or bleeding.
- Liver injury: rare but sometimes fatal.
- High blood pressure, heart failure and swelling: flurbiprofen can cause or worsen these.
- Kidney problems and high potassium: risk is greatest with dehydration, heart failure, liver or kidney disease, and some blood pressure medicines.
- Skin reactions, DRESS and anaphylaxis: rare but serious.
- Eye drops: may increase bleeding of eye tissues with eye surgery.
Flurbiprofen interactions
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Flurbiprofen can interact with several common medicines.
- Warfarin and other blood thinners: serious bleeding risk.
- Aspirin: more GI side effects and no added benefit, and flurbiprofen cannot replace low-dose aspirin for heart protection.
- Other NSAIDs and salicylates: more GI toxicity.
- SSRIs, SNRIs and corticosteroids: more bleeding or ulcer risk.
- ACE inhibitors, ARBs, beta-blockers and diuretics: weaker blood pressure effect and possible kidney strain.
- Digoxin, lithium, methotrexate, cyclosporine and pemetrexed: levels or toxicity may rise.
Interactions listed in the FDA-approved label
From the Flurbiprofen prescribing information (“Drug Interactions”): what the manufacturer studied or reported to the FDA.
- Drugs that interfere with hemostasis (anticoagulants such as warfarin, antiplatelet agents, SSRIs, SNRIs): Flurbiprofen and anticoagulants have a synergistic effect on bleeding, and concomitant use increases the risk of serious bleeding compared to either drug alone; SSRIs/SNRIs with an NSAID may potentiate bleeding risk more than an NSAID alone. Monitor patients for signs of bleeding.
- Aspirin: Concomitant use does not produce any greater therapeutic effect than NSAIDs alone, was associated with a significantly increased incidence of GI adverse reactions, and aspirin lowers serum flurbiprofen concentrations (clinical significance not known). Concomitant use with analgesic doses of aspirin is not generally recommended because of the increased risk of bleeding; flurbiprofen is not a substitute for low dose aspirin for cardiovascular protection.
- ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and beta-blockers: NSAIDs may diminish the antihypertensive effect of these drugs; in elderly, volume-depleted or renally impaired patients, coadministration with ACE inhibitors or ARBs may result in deterioration of renal function, including possible acute renal failure. Monitor blood pressure; in elderly, volume-depleted or renally impaired patients monitor for worsening renal function; keep patients adequately hydrated; assess renal function at the beginning of concomitant treatment and periodically thereafter.
- Diuretics: NSAIDs reduced the natriuretic effect of loop diuretics (e.g., furosemide) and thiazide diuretics in some patients. Observe patients for signs of worsening renal function and assure diuretic efficacy including antihypertensive effects.
- Digoxin: Concomitant use has been reported to increase the serum concentration and prolong the half-life of digoxin. Monitor serum digoxin levels.
- Lithium: NSAIDs have produced elevations in plasma lithium levels and reductions in renal lithium clearance; mean minimum lithium concentration increased 15% and renal clearance decreased by approximately 20%. Monitor patients for signs of lithium toxicity.
- Methotrexate: Concomitant use may increase the risk for methotrexate toxicity (e.g., neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, renal dysfunction). Monitor patients for methotrexate toxicity.
- Cyclosporine: Concomitant use may increase cyclosporine's nephrotoxicity. Monitor patients for signs of worsening renal function.
- Other NSAIDs or salicylates (e.g., diflunisal, salsalate): Concomitant use increases the risk of GI toxicity, with little or no increase in efficacy. Concomitant use is not recommended.
- Pemetrexed: Concomitant use may increase the risk of pemetrexed-associated myelosuppression, renal, and GI toxicity. In patients with creatinine clearance 45 to 79 mL/min, monitor for myelosuppression, renal and GI toxicity. Avoid short half-life NSAIDs (e.g., diclofenac, indomethacin) for two days before, the day of, and two days following pemetrexed; for longer half-life NSAIDs (e.g., meloxicam, nabumetone), interrupt dosing for at least five days before, the day of, and
Read the label’s full interactions text
Drug Interactions: Interaction of Flurbiprofen Sodium Ophthalmic Solution with other topical ophthalmic medications has not been fully investigated. Although clinical studies with acetylcholine chloride and animal studies with acetylcholine chloride or carbachol revealed no interference, and there is no known pharmacological basis for an interaction, there have been reports that acetylcholine chloride and carbachol have been ineffective when used in patients treated with Flurbiprofen Sodium Ophthalmic Solution.
Not a complete list. The label covers the interactions the manufacturer studied or reported, and our own interaction database does not cover every medicine either. Bring your full medication list, including vitamins and herbal products, to your pharmacist.
Before taking Flurbiprofen
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- Do not use if allergic to flurbiprofen, or if aspirin or NSAIDs caused asthma, hives or allergic reactions.
- Tablets must not be used around CABG surgery.
- Use caution with prior ulcers or GI bleeding, heart disease, recent heart attack, severe heart failure, high blood pressure, or kidney or liver disease.
- Pregnancy: limit use at about 20 to 30 weeks and avoid it at about 30 weeks and later.
- Breastfeeding: only a small amount passes into milk.
- Children: safety and effectiveness have not been established.
- Older adults are at greater risk of serious side effects.
Flurbiprofen overdose
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NSAID overdose can cause lethargy, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting and upper stomach pain, and sometimes GI bleeding. Rarely, high blood pressure, acute kidney failure, slowed breathing or coma can occur. There is no specific antidote, so treatment is supportive. Contact a poison control center (1-800-222-1222) right away.
What Flurbiprofen does in the body
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Flurbiprofen has pain-relieving, anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing properties. It is a potent inhibitor of prostaglandin production, which is thought to explain its effects in peripheral tissues.
How your body processes Flurbiprofen
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Flurbiprofen tablets are absorbed rapidly and almost completely, with peak levels at about 2 hours. Food or antacids may change the rate but not the extent of absorption. The drug is more than 99% bound to proteins in the blood, and it is broken down mostly in the liver, with CYP2C9 playing an important role. Its half-life is roughly 5 to 6 hours, and the breakdown products are cleared mainly through the urine. People with moderate or severe kidney problems or liver disease may need dose adjustments.
How to store Flurbiprofen
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Store at 15°C to 25°C (59°F to 77°F).
Written from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Flurbiprofen
118 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Flurbiprofen in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Major · 5
- Moderate · 83
- Minor · 30
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Flurbiprofen: pharmacist answers to common questions
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Flurbiprofen — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
What is flurbiprofen used for?
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How should I take the tablets?
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What side effects are common?
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When should I call my doctor right away?
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Can I take it with aspirin or other pain relievers?
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Is it safe during pregnancy?
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Is Flurbiprofen available over the counter?
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When was Flurbiprofen first available?
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Who makes Flurbiprofen?
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Answers drafted from the FDA-approved label with AI and reviewed by our pharmacy team. How we use AI →
More about Flurbiprofen on HelloPharmacist
Flurbiprofen forms and strengths (how it comes)
Flurbiprofen is available in 2 forms. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Eye drops
How this form is used
- Flurbiprofen Sodium ophthalmic solution is used to inhibit intraoperative miosis (pupil narrowing during eye surgery).
- Flurbiprofen Sodium is given as four drops total, one drop about every 1/2 hour, starting 2 hours before surgery.
- Flurbiprofen Sodium may increase bleeding of eye tissues, including hyphemas, with eye surgery.
Tablet
How this form is used
- Flurbiprofen and Lurbiro tablets relieve signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
- Flurbiprofen and Lurbiro tablets relieve signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis.
- Flurbiprofen and Lurbiro tablets are taken by mouth, divided into two, three or four doses a day.
- Flurbiprofen and Lurbiro tablets should be used at the lowest effective dose for the shortest time.
- Your prescriber may adjust the dose and frequency of Flurbiprofen or Lurbiro after seeing how you respond.
Flurbiprofen on the U.S. market: products, makers and brands
How Flurbiprofen appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
7 companies list 7 Flurbiprofen product records with the FDA, mostly as eye drops, tablet; the earliest marketing or approval year on record is 1986. Brand names on the directory include Ansaid, Ocufen, Lurbipr and 1 more; the rest are generics.
FDA-listed product records by dose form (tablet variants merged) — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
Also listed with the FDA, not a patient dose form: Powder (15) — bulk drug substance sold to compounders/manufacturers and multi-item kits. These aren’t counted in the dose-form total above.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
How widely Flurbiprofen is used (Medicaid data)
A general measure of how commonly Flurbiprofen is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Flurbiprofen is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Flurbiprofen prescribed? Of the 1,601 medications we measure, Flurbiprofen ranks #1,121 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 30% of them.
Utilization by Flurbiprofen product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
flurbiprofen 100 MG Oral Tablet Most dispensed
Summed across the 2 of 24 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 197724
flurbiprofen sodium 0.3 MG/ML Ophthalmic Solution
Summed across the 1 of 5 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1243585
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Flurbiprofen, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 3 of 29 listed Flurbiprofen NDCs with Medicaid activity.
Compare Flurbiprofen products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Flurbiprofen — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Eye drops | ||||
| 0.3 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | A-S Medication Solutions | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 0.3 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Amici Pharma, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 0.3 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Bausch & Lomb Incorporated | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 0.3 mg/mL | Ophthalmic | Proficient Rx LP | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 💊Tablet | ||||
| 100 mg | Oral | Genus Lifesciences | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 100 mg | Oral | IPG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
| 100 mg | Oral | NuCare Pharmaceuticals,Inc. | ANDA | View NDC → |
Showing 7 of 7 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 7 Flurbiprofen NDCs →
Flurbiprofen side effects reported to the FDA (FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Flurbiprofen — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Flurbiprofen in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
Flurbiprofen FDA approval history
How Flurbiprofen went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
Flurbiprofen recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
The FDA’s enforcement reports list no Flurbiprofen recalls since July 2021.
✅No Flurbiprofen recalls on record since July 2021Source: FDA enforcement (recall) reports, via openFDA; our copy was last updated Sep 24, 2026.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 4502 5 dose forms · 6 strengths
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Dose form (SCDF) Extended Release Oral Capsule RxCUI 372245No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) 200 MGRxCUI 199749 -
Dose form (SCDF) Ophthalmic Solution RxCUI 372246In current FDA listingsClinical drug / strength (SCD) sodium 0.3 MG/MLRxCUI 1243585 -
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Lozenge RxCUI 393449No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) 8.75 MGRxCUI 389247 -
Dose form (SCDF) Oral Tablet RxCUI 372249In current FDA listings -
Dose form (SCDF) Rectal Suppository RxCUI 372247No current FDA listingClinical drug / strength (SCD) 100 MGRxCUI 105845
Look up RxCUI 4502 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
Flurbiprofen supply and shortage status
Whether Flurbiprofen is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
💵 What Flurbiprofen costs pharmacies (NADAC benchmark)
The national average invoice price pharmacies pay for the drug itself, from CMS's NADAC survey (data as of Sep 30, 2026). This is a supply-cost benchmark — not a retail price and not what you'd pay at the counter.
| Form | Strength | Pharmacy acquisition benchmark | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tablet · Oral | 100 mg | $3.17 per tablet | NDC details & price history |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC), a survey of retail pharmacy invoice prices. Benchmarks shown are the range across package sizes of a representative product for each form and strength — other manufacturers' products may differ.
Flurbiprofen brand names
Flurbiprofen is sold under 4 brand names in the FDA directory — Ansaid, Ocufen, Lurbipr, Lurbiro. A brand and its generic contain the same active ingredient; the brand name belongs to one company's product.
Who makes Flurbiprofen: manufacturers and labelers
7 companies list Flurbiprofen products with the FDA. By number of product records, the largest are A-S Medication Solutions, Amici Pharma, Inc., Bausch & Lomb Incorporated. Labelers include manufacturers and repackagers; the product in your bottle depends on which one your pharmacy stocks.
Flurbiprofen drug class (RxNorm)
Flurbiprofen belongs to the Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
Sources for this Flurbiprofen page
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How this page is built
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records and does not author the underlying clinical facts. The plain-language sections are written with AI from the FDA-approved label text and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Proficient Rx LP is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates. This is general education, not medical advice: always talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your own medicines. How we build and review drug pages →