Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a combination of chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine sulfate for knee and hip osteoarthritis in real clinical practice

Abstract

A combination of chondroitin and glucosamine is widely used in clinical practice as both a symptomatic and structure-modifying agent for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). The emergence of new drugs based on this combination substantially expands treatment options for OA therapy.Objective: to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Artroflex® that is a combination of chondroitin sulfate 400 mg and glucosamine sulfate 500 mg (CS + GS) to support joint health in patients with knee and/or hip OA.Patients and methods. When implementing an open observational research program, the results of using the CS + GS complex were assessed in 644 OA patients (74.7% women) (mean age, 58.0±14.6 years) who experienced moderate/severe pain and required to continuously take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The CS + GS complex was prescribed in a dose of 2 capsules per day for 3 months. The investigators estimated changes in pain on movement by a 0 to 10 verbal pain scale, general health (GH) by a 0–10 visual analogue scale), the Lequesne index, the need for NSAIDs, and patient satisfaction with treatment and its tolerance.Results and discussion. After 3-month therapy, there were decreases in pain intensity by 49.2±16.8%, GH scores by 45.6±18.1%, the Lequesne index from 9.0 [6.0; 13.0] to 5.0 [3.0; 9.0]; less than half (45.2%) of the patients still needed for NSAIDs. 82.2% of patients were satisfied or completely satisfied with treatment results; 89.6% reported good treatment tolerance.Adverse events (apparently associated with NSAID use) were recorded in 2.2% of cases. There were no serious complications that required CS + GS treatment discontinuation or hospitalization.Conclusion. The findings have indicated that Artroflex® used to support joint health is an effective agent that controls OA symptoms and has a good safety level.