Glucosamine in the treatment of osteoarthritis

Glucosamine sulfate, a constituent of cartilage, is evaluated for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Available data suggest that glucosamine decreases pain and improves function in osteoarthritis. Most of the glucosamine studies have methodological flaws or used parenteral formulations, making their data difficult to extrapolate into clinical practice. Glucosamine sulfate is shown to be as good as ibuprofen for osteoarthritis of the knee. Better designed clinical trials of glucosamine are needed to identify its role in the pharmacotherapy of osteoarthritis.