This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Glucosamine plus chondroitin has comparable efficacy to celecoxib in OA
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The combination of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate was shown to be comparable in efficacy to treatment with Celebrex after 6 months, according to results from the MOVES trial.
The study comprised 606 patients with osteoarthritis (OA) who presented with Kellgren and Lawrence grades 2 to 3 knee osteoarthritis and moderate-to-severe pain WOMAC scores of greater than 301 on a scale of zero to 500.
In the double-blind trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive 400 mg chondroitin sulfate (CS) and 500 mg glucosamine hydrochloride (GH) per day or 200 mg Celebrex (celecoxib, Pfizer) for 6 months.
At 6 months, the mean change from baseline WOMAC score in the GH/CS group was −185.7 (a 50.1% reduction) and −186.8 in the celecoxib group (a 50.2% reduction). Stiffness scores were also similar in both groups (46.9% GH/CS vs. 49.2% celecoxib). WOMAC function scores and VAS scores were similarly reduced in both groups, for which a 79% response rate was achieved.
No differences in mobility, self-care, ability to perform usual activities, level of pain or anxiety or depression or general health status were observed between the two treatment groups, according to the researchers.
Adverse events were reported in about half of patients in each group, 17 of which were serious and included allergic reactions. – by Shirley Pulawski
Disclosure: Hochberg is a consultant to Bioiberica SA, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly, EMD Serono SA, Iroko Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharma AG, Pfizer, Samumed and Theralogix, and owns stock in Theralogix. Please see the full study for a full list of the other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts