Investigators Test Treatment to Slow Osteoarthritis

Researchers are trialling a once-a-year treatment to slow osteoarthritis.

Led by Monash University (Melbourne, Australia) Professor Flavia Cicuttini, the investigators are studying whether medications currently used to treat osteoporosis, a progressive bone disease, might be able to treat osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of knee pain in people over the age of 50. It is the third leading cause of disability after depression and dementia, and affects around 1.95 million Australians and more than 20 million Americans.

Cicuttini said no treatment was proven to stop progressive joint damage, and while several drugs had been suggested to slow the disease, there was little conclusive evidence to support their use.

“Many people find their only option to relieve pain and improve their quality of life is to have joint replacement surgery,” Cicuttini said.

The researchers are looking at whether a once-a-year treatment of bisphosphonates might prevent osteoarthritis from getting worse. “It is particularly exciting that a single treatment once a year may be helpful,” Cicuttini said. “If this medication is effective, it will be a new treatment for slowing knee osteoarthritis from getting worse. Our ultimate goal is to relieve pain and improve the quality of life for people with knee pain and osteoarthritis.”

The team currently is studying treatments for osteoarthritis; specifically, whether drugs used to lower cholesterol might slow the disease. Findings for the studies will be available in the next three to four years.

The team is hoping to recruit trial participants from Melbourne residents over the age of 50 who suffer from knee pain on most days. The participants must be willing and able to undergo a magnetic resonance imaging scan of their knee.