ASSESSMENT OF THE PLACEBO-EFFECT OF SYMPT OMATIC SLOW-ACTING DRUGS GIVEN FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS

OBJECTIVES: Assess the importance of the mid-term placebo Effect of sy mptomatic slow acting drugs given far osteoarthritis. METHODS: We anal yzed six controlled trials available in the literature Trial duration ranged from 2 to 6 months. The trials had been conducted to assess the symptomatic effect of diacerhein, avocado/soya unsaponifiable chondro ntin sulfate and oxaceprolin given for osteoarthritis of the hip or kn ee. The main clinical outcomes assessed were functional impairment usi ng the Lequesnes index and a visual analog scale. RESULTS: Globally, t he trials showed decreased function impairment with a 2 to 3 points de crease in the Lequesnes index (15 to 20%) and a 10 to 16 mm fall in th e visual analog scale (-20 to -30%) in the placebo groups, CONCLUSION: Our findings confirms the importance of the mid-term placebo effect i n the clinical course of osteoarthritis in patients given slow-acting drugs. This placebo effect, observed under these circumstances, is an expression of what clinicians will look for in future drugs and should be helpful for calculating the number of patients required in future trials. (C) 1998, Masson, Paris.