THURSDAY, Mar. 12 (HealthDay News) -- A single intraarticular injection of hyaluronic acid for the treatment of hip osteoarthritis was ineffective in achieving significant pain relief in comparison to placebo, according to research published in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Pascal Richette, M.D., Ph.D., from the Hopital Lariboisiere, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris in France, and colleagues conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study from 2005 to 2006 with 85 patients ranging in age from 30 to 80 years recruited from 26 centers. The patients were randomized to receive either one fluoroscopically guided intraarticular injection of 2.5 mL of hyaluronic acid (Adant) or 2.5 mL of saline water (placebo). Pain was measured using a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS).
After three months, the mean VAS pain score did not differ significantly between the hyaluronic acid and placebo groups (7.8 mm versus 9.1 mm), the researchers report. There was also no significant difference between the groups for secondary end points, frequency of adverse events and use of rescue medication, the report indicates.
"One plausible explanation could be the known rapid clearance of hyaluronic acid from the synovial fluid compartment, which suggests that a single intraarticular injection of hyaluronic acid might be insufficient to have an effect on osteoarthritis symptoms," the authors write.
Daiichi Sankyo France, maker of Adant, supported the study. Several of the study authors report relationships with the pharmaceutical industry, including Daiichi Sankyo.
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