Efficacy and Safety of Glucosamine Sulfate Versus a Pure Analgesic (Acetaminophen/Paracetamol) and Placebo in Patients Suffering From Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Osteoarthritis is a common degenerative joint disease, affecting a large proportion of the general population. Its severity is progressive and often requires long-term treatment courses.

Medications for osteoarthritis may affect symptoms (pain and function limitation) and/or modify joint structure.

Pharmacological agents usually employed to treat symptoms generally include unspecific drugs such as pure analgesics and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), as well as compounds that are possibly disease specific, since they probably interact with some of the osteoarthritis pathogenetic factors: glucosamine sulfate is one of these agents.

Glucosamine sulfate has recently attracted the attention of the scientific community and of patients, because two long-term (3 years) clinical trials in comparison with placebo, showed that this is the first agent able to retard the progression of anatomic joint structure changes in knee osteoarthritis, besides controlling the progression of symptoms.

Earlier studies had shown that glucosamine sulfate is effective in relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis also over shorter treatment courses (few weeks or months), in comparison with placebo. In addition, glucosamine sulfate efficacy in short studies was at least comparable to that of unspecific symptomatic medications such as conventional NSAIDs, whilst being better tolerated. However, all practice guidelines for the treatment of osteoarthritis suggest acetaminophen (paracetamol) as the oral analgesic to try first and, if successful, the preferred long-term symptomatic medication.