Feinberg
Northwestern Medicine | Northwestern University | Faculty Profiles

News Center

  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Menu
  • Categories
    • Campus News
    • Disease Discoveries
    • Clinical Breakthroughs
    • Education News
    • Scientific Advances
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Podcasts
  • Editor’s Picks
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Cancer
    • Neurology and Neuroscience
    • Aging and Longevity
    • Artificial Intelligence in Medicine
  • News Archives
  • About Us
    • Media Contact
    • Share Your News
    • News Feeds
    • Social Media
    • Contact Us
Home » New Drug Offers Big Relief for Osteoarthritis Pain
Uncategorized

New Drug Offers Big Relief for Osteoarthritis Pain

By medwebOct 4, 2010
Share
Facebook Twitter Email

New Drug Offers Big Relief for Osteoarthritis Pain

A phase II clinical trial of the first new type of drug for musculoskeletal pain since aspirin shows that it significantly reduces knee pain in osteoarthritis, the most common osteoarthritis pain, according to new research from Northwestern Medicine.

However, phase III trials of that drug, tanezumab, have been placed on clinical hold after 16 out of several thousand participants in the new trial developed progressively worsening arthritis and bone changes that required total joint replacements.

“The bottom line is this is a very effective drug for relieving pain; unfortunately, it appears some people go on to have their osteoarthritis progress more quickly,” said Thomas Schnitzer, MD, PhD, a rheumatologist and professor in the department of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The long-term safety of tanezumab needs to be better understood.”

Schnitzer is a principal investigator and lead author of a paper on the research, which was published Sept. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine. He also was an investigator on the phase III trial. The other lead author and principal investigator is Nancy Lane, MD, a professor of internal medicine at UC Davis School of Medicine.

Tanezumab is the first new drug for general muscle or joint pain in over 100 years, Schnitzer said, noting nonsteroidals and COX inhibitors are a “fancy form of aspirin.”

“It’s very exciting to have a new approach to manage pain for osteoarthritis,” he said.

Other drugs currently used to treat pain have significant side effects – bleeding, ulcers and an increase in heart attacks — that limit their use.

Anecdotally, tanezumab appears to provide greater pain relief than current drugs.

“The effects of tanezumab were remarkable,” Lane said. “People on the drug went from having very limited activity to practically being on the dance floor. No medication available today has such dramatic results.”

Schnitzer and Lane said the apparent worsening of certain patients’ condition could be because tanezumab helped patients increase their activity and, as a result, put more stress on their diseased joints.

In the phase II study of 440 patients, treatment with tanezumab reduced knee pain during walking by 45 to 62 percent compared to 22 percent reduction in pain with a placebo. The pain scores were equal to or lower than those reported by patients during screening while taking their prior pain medication.

Schnitzer said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is examining data to decide how to proceed.

“The FDA may decide it’s too dangerous overall or, rather, that there may be a specific patient population in which it should not be used or who need to be warned about possible serious side effects,” he said.

The drug works by neutralizing or blocking Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a molecule needed for normal development of the nervous system, but which also gets released when there is inflammation in the body. NGF stimulates nerve cells and triggers pain.

Nearly 27 million adults in the United States have osteoarthritis, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, and about 40 percent suffer from knee osteoarthritis. The number of people with osteoarthritis is expected to rise as baby boomers reach retirement age and as the number of obese Americans increases. Half of all adults will develop symptoms in the knee at some point in their lives.

The research was funded by Rinat Neuroscience Corporation, now a subsidiary of Pfizer Inc. Schnitzer has received consulting fees from Logical Therapeutics, Horizon Therapeutics, Merck, NicOx, Winston Laboratories, Solstice and Santosolve; performs clinical research for Genzyme, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Nordic Bioscience, Wyeth and Pozen; and holds equity in NicOx.

Share. Facebook Twitter Email

Related Posts

Lurie Cancer Center Receives Merit Extension from NCI

Oct 20, 2021

Drug Combination May Reduce Risk of Leukemia Relapse

Mar 26, 2020

Rewriting the Role of a Transcription Factor

Mar 19, 2020

Comments are closed.

Latest News

Celebrating Feinberg’s 2023 Match Day

Mar 17, 2023

Predicting Risk of Blood Clots in Brain Tumors

Mar 16, 2023

Understanding How Exercise Induces Systemic Metabolic Benefits

Mar 15, 2023

Future Directions in Continuing Medical Education

Mar 14, 2023

Lieber Receives VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Award 

Mar 13, 2023
  • News Center Home
  • Categories
  • Press Release
  • Media Coverage
  • Editor’s Picks
  • News Archives
  • About Us
Flickr Photos
_5NM1245
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_0928
_5NM1715
_5NM0526
_5NM1026 (1)
_5NM1906
_5NM2173
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_0896
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1113
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1868
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1237
230204_SERIO_MANDELL_Feinberg_Formal_1172

Northwestern University logo

Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

RSS Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Flickr YouTube Instagram
Copyright © 2023 Northwestern University
  • Contact Northwestern University
  • Disclaimer
  • Campus Emergency Information
  • Policy Statements

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.