Antidepressant – duloxetine – under spotlight for osteoarthritis knee pain

A drug called duloxetine is under scrutiny as a potential treatment for chronic osteoarthritis knee pain, explains research published in Therapeutic Advances in Musculoskeletal Disease.

Three trials were carried out which found that: 

• A decrease in pain severity occurs at about four weeks when people receive duloxetine.
• People who receive duloxetine report better improvements in physical functioning.
• Duloxetine is safe and effective when used with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

No long-term studies have yet evaluated duloxetine in people with chronic osteoarthritis of the knee, so more research is needed before duloxetine is routinely prescribed for this area.

But “duloxetine has been evaluated in a one-year extension trial of fibromyalgia,” says Dr Jacques P. Brown who led the work. “Effectiveness was maintained over the course of the year and the safety of duloxetine was consistent with that observed in other indications.”

To read more visit http://tab.sagepub.com/content/5/6/291.abstract.