New yearly treatment option for osteoarthritis shows promise

Scientists in Australia are trialling a promising new treatment for osteoarthritis that only needs to be administered on an annual basis.

The team from Monash University are looking at whether a once-a-year treatment of bisphosphonates might stop osteoarthritis getting worse. This form of medication is currently used to treat osteoporosis, but could also offer benefits to osteoarthritis sufferers.

Currently, there is no treatment available that has been proven to stop progressive joint damage in osteoarthritis.

Researchers will be recruiting patients in Melbourne aged 50 years and older who suffer from knee pain on most days to take part in the trial. They are also currently conducting research looking at whether drugs used to lower cholesterol might also help to slow the disease.

Findings for both of these studies will be available in the next three to four years.

Monash University professor Flavia Cicuttini said: "If this medication is effective, it will be a completely 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."

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the UK, with symptoms including pain, stiffness, grating and swelling in the joints. This can make certain everyday activities difficult, including climbing the stairs.

It is a long-term condition that cannot be cured, but with the correct management it does not necessarily need to get worse over time, and can indeed sometimes gradually improve.

A spokeswoman for Arthritis Research UK commented: "We'd be very interested to see if bisphosphonates could work in slowing down the disease progression of osteoarthritis, and await the results of this study with interest."

 Arthritis Research UK is currently trialling two drugs normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis in osteoarthritis, and is also testing the effectiveness of spironolactone, a drug traditionally used to treat heart conditions.

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