Researchers stumble across potential new treatment for osteoarthritis

Living with osteoarthritis? Well, we’ve got some good news! Researchers from Switzerland, the UK and the US may have found a potential treatment for osteoarthritis by accident during a trial to reduce issues with the heart.

Currently, there’s no cure for the debilitating condition, which affects around 2.2 million people in Australia. So the researchers decided to change their focus after finding that the patients being treated with a drug called canakinumab had significantly lower rates of total hip or knee replacements.

The researchers found that the rates were 40 to 47 per cent lower after canakinumab treatments, compared to a placebo group. The team said this is likely because “the drug causes a domino effect in the body that leads to stopping or delaying the acceleration of joint degeneration”.

The reduction in joint replacements among patients who received the drug became apparent after only one year of treatment. However, the authors noted that the number of women in the trial was relatively low, explaining that knee osteoarthritis is more common in women than men. The study is published in the academic journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

It comes after the Australian late-stage drug development company Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals ran a small FDA approved-trial for its Zilusol drug targeting osteoarthritis. The trial achieved an average of 65 per cent reduction in pain. The new drug is available via the special access scheme (SAS) in Australia.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in Australia, with around 2.2 million people currently living with this painful condition, according to statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition characterised by the breakdown of the cartilage that overlies the ends of bones in joints. This results in the bones rubbing together, causing pain, swelling and loss of motion. Osteoarthritis mostly affects the hands, spine and joints such as hips, knees and ankles, and usually gets worse over time.

While there’s currently no cure for the condition, many people with osteoarthritis manage their pain with pain relief products. Other ways to manage osteoarthritis include undertaking regular low-impact activities such as walking, cycling, rowing, tai chi, yoga, pilates, swimming and water aerobics.

IMPORTANT LEGAL INFO This article is of a general nature and FYI only, because it doesn’t take into account your personal health requirements or existing medical conditions. That means it’s not personalised health advice and shouldn’t be relied upon as if it is. Before making a health-related decision, you should work out if the info is appropriate for your situation and get professional medical advice.