SYDNEY, Oct 13: A research team led by Monash University and Alfred Health has found that methotrexate, an affordable existing drug, can help relieve the pain of people suffering from hand osteoarthritis.
In their new study published Thursday in the Lancet journal, researchers conducted a trial of 97 participants randomly assigned to receive methotrexate or a placebo for six months.
Results showed that a 20 mg weekly oral dose of methotrexate had a “moderate but potentially clinically meaningful” effect on reducing pain for hand osteoarthritis and synovitis patients.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, osteoarthritis is characterised by the breakdown of the cartilage overlying the ends of bones in joints, with one in five Australians over the age of 45 having the disease.
Osteoarthritis can make it difficult for people to perform everyday tasks, as pain may be felt during minor movements or even at rest if the condition worsens.
“In our study, as with most studies of osteoarthritis, both the placebo group and methotrexate groups’ pain improved in the first month or so,” said Flavia Cicuttini, senior author of the study and professor at Monash University.
“However, pain levels stayed the same in the placebo group but continued to decrease in the methotrexate group at three and six months. The pain improvement in the methotrexate group was twice as much as in the placebo group,” she noted.
Cicuttini is eyeing new projects to carry out an extended trial, given that the current research only covered a period of six months.
“Further trials are needed to establish whether the effect of methotrexate extends beyond six months, for how long we need to treat patients, and whether methotrexate reduces joint damage in patients with hand osteoarthritis and associated inflammation,” said the expert.
— BERNAMA-XINHUA