EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF GLUCOSAMINE SULFATE VERSUS IBUPROFEN IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

A double-blind therapeutic investigation was performed on 178 Chinese patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee randomized into two groups, one treated for 4 weeks with glucosamine sulfate (GS, CAS 290 31-19-4, Viartril-S(R)) at the daily dose of 1,500 mg and the other wi th ibuprofen (IBU, CAS 15687-27-1) at the daily dose of 1,200 mg. Knee pain at rest, at movement and at pressure, knee swelling, improvement and therapeutic utility as well as adverse events and drop-outs were recorded after 2 and 4 weeks of treatment. The variables were recorded also after 2 weeks of treatment discontinuation in order to appreciat e the remnant therapeutic effect. Both GS and IBU significantly reduce d the symptoms of osteoarthritis with the trend of GS to be more effec tive. After 2 weeks of drug discontinuation there was a remnant therap eutic effect in both groups, with the trend to be more pronounced in t he GS group. GS was significantly better tolerated than IBU, as shown by the adverse drug reactions (6% in the patients of the GS group and 16% in the IBU group - p = 0.02) and by the drug-related drop-outs (0% of the patients in the GS group and 10% in the IBU group - p = 0.0017 ). The better tolerability of GS is explained by its mode of action, b ecause GS specifically curbs the pathogenic mechanisms of osteoarthrit is and does not inhibit the cyclo-oxygenases as the non-steroidal anti -inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) do, with the consequent anti-inflammatory analgesic activities but also with the several adverse reactions due to this not targeted effect. The present study confirms that GS is a s elective drug for osteoarthritis, as effective on the symtoms of the d isease as NSAIDs but significantly better tolerated. For these propert ies GS seems particularly indicated in the long-term treatments needed in osteoarthritis.