Glucosamine/chondroitin: no clear benefit in knee pain
Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements show no clear benefit in osteoarthritis knee pain, according to preliminary data from a US government-funded trial.
The National Institutes of Health commissioned the glucosamine/chondroitin
arthritis intervention trial in response to the growing popularity of
the supplements.
The 1,583 patient, placebo-controlled trial compared the supplements
separately and in combination against celecoxib (Celebrex).
Response rates were 64 per cent for 500mg glucosamine three times daily,
65.4 per cent for chondroitin 400mg three times daily, and 66.6 per cent
for the combination, all non-significant compared with placebo. The response
rate was 70.1 per cent for celecoxib 200mg daily (P=0.008 versus placebo).
Adverse events were mild and evenly spread across the patient groups.
The investigators say that a subgroup analysis suggests there may be
some benefit of the combination in patients with moderate-to-severe knee
pain but conclude there is little to recommend the supplements for alleviation
of pain based on these data.
The data were presented last week at the American
College of Rheumatology meeting in San Diego, California. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
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