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Pharmacotherapy for osteoarthritis-related pain: current and emerging therapies
Mengdi Zhang1, Zhiqiang Wang1, Changhai Ding1
1Clinical Research Centre, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China.
Introduction:
Osteoarthritis (OA) related pain has affected millions of people worldwide. However, the current pharmacological options for managing OA-related pain have not achieved a satisfactory effect.
Areas Covered:
This narrative review provides an overview of the current and emerging drugs for OA-related pain. It covers the drugs' mechanism of action, safety, efficacy, and limitations. The National Library of Medicine (PubMed) database was primarily searched from 2000 to 2024.
Expert Opinion:
Current treatment options are limited and suboptimal for OA pain management. Topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are the recognized and first-line treatment in the management of OA-related pain, and other drugs are inconsistent recommendations by guidelines. Emerging treatment options are promising for OA-related pain, including nerve growth factor (NGF) inhibitors, ion channel inhibitors, and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonists. Besides, drugs repurposing from antidepressants and antiepileptic analgesics are shedding light on the management of OA-related pain. The management of OA-related pain is challenging as pain is heterogeneous and subjective. A more comprehensive strategy combined with non-pharmacological therapy needs to be considered, and tailored management options to individualized patients.
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