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Osteoarthritis: Are Drugs to Stop or Slow the Disease in the Pipeline?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder that is not totally unfamiliar among lupus patients. It is caused by 'wear and tear' on a joint.
 Cartilage is the firm, rubbery tissue that cushions your bones at the joints, and allows bones to glide over one another. When cartilage breaks down or wears away, the bones rub together, causing pain, swelling and stiffness. Bony spurs or extra bone may form around the joint, and the ligaments and muscles around the hip become weaker and stiffer.
Often, the cause of OA is unknown. It is mainly related to aging. The symptoms of OA usually appear in middle age. Almost everyone has some symptoms by age 70. However, these symptoms may be minor. Before age 55, OA occurs equally in men and women. After age 55, it is more common in women.
Current medication for OA are largely focused on treating symptoms, but none so far are designed to stop -- or at least slow -- the damage that the disease can inflict on the joints. Such treatment --approved by the FDA -- is available for rheumatoid arthritis (called Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, or DMARDs). They slow down the disease process and limit joint damage in many people with rheumatoid arthritis.
By comparison, the development of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) has been slow and none has so far been approved by the FDA. The good news is that the FDA has asked for input from researchers, the pharmaceutical industry and patient advocacy groups to evaluate the efficacy of DMOADs being considered by the agency. This FDA initiative aims to re-examine the 1999 definition of osteoarthritis progression and determine the best ways to evaluate new drugs for prevention and treatment of OA.
(source: Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Alerts)
For more information about OA, click HERE.
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