Osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million U.S. adults, causing joint pain and stiffness as cartilage wears away. Current treatment relies on pain relievers, physical therapy, weight management, and eventually joint replacement surgery. No approved drug slows cartilage breakdown or repairs damaged joints.
What's actually going on in research
Trials are testing drugs that aim to modify disease rather than just mask pain — including antibodies targeting nerve growth factor for pain relief, gene therapies to regenerate cartilage, platelet-rich plasma and stem cell injections, and drugs that block inflammatory signals driving cartilage loss. Studies also explore whether existing diabetes drugs like semaglutide reduce arthritis through weight loss and anti-inflammatory effects.
Disease-modifying drugs
Several drugs aim to slow cartilage breakdown by blocking specific enzymes or inflammatory proteins. If successful, these would be the first treatments to change how osteoarthritis progresses rather than just treating symptoms.
Nerve growth factor blockers
Antibodies that block nerve growth factor can reduce osteoarthritis pain more effectively than opioids. FDA approval has been delayed by safety concerns, but trials continue with modified dosing and monitoring.
Regenerative approaches
Studies are testing whether injecting stem cells, gene therapy vectors, or growth factors into damaged joints can regenerate cartilage. Early results are mixed, but multiple approaches remain in testing.
What to know before you search
Eligibility typically depends on which joints are affected, pain severity, X-ray evidence of cartilage loss, body mass index, and whether you've tried standard treatments like NSAIDs or physical therapy.
What types of trials are currently open
- Pain treatment trials — Testing new pain medications, including drugs that block nerve growth factor, to see if they work better than current options without increasing side effects.
- Disease-modifying trials — Testing drugs that aim to slow cartilage loss or promote repair, measured by X-ray or MRI changes over months to years.
- Injection therapy trials — Studies of injections into arthritic joints — including stem cells, platelet-rich plasma, or gene therapy — to reduce pain or regenerate cartilage.
- Weight loss trials — Testing whether medications like semaglutide reduce osteoarthritis symptoms through weight loss and direct anti-inflammatory effects on joints.
- Device and procedure studies — Testing nerve stimulation devices, arthroscopic procedures, and other non-drug approaches for pain relief.
Recently added Osteoarthritis trials
Receive a hip replacement with a new stem design
This study looks at how well a hip replacement using the collarless Actis stem works over five years. Total hip replacement is a common operation for people whose hip joint has been damaged by arthritis, by loss of blood supply to the hip bone, or by a broken hip. During the operation, the damaged parts of the hip are replaced with artificial parts. The Actis stem is the part that is fitted into the thigh bone. It is designed to bond directly with the bone, without the use of bone cement. The Actis stem is already used in many countries, and early results have been good. However, almost all of those results come from Western patients, and most studies used a version of the stem that has a small collar. Very little is known about how the collarless version performs in Asian patients, who tend to be younger at the time of surgery and more often have the operation because of loss of blood supply to the hip bone. People aged 18 years or older who are already scheduled for a hip replacement at this hospital may take part. Everyone who takes part has the same operation, with the same set of artificial parts. No extra tests are done for research purposes. After surgery, participants return to the clinic at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 12 months, and then once a year until 5 years have passed. These are the same visits that patients would have anyway. At each visit, the study team checks for any problems with the new hip, takes routine X-rays, and asks participants to fill in questionnaires about their hip pain, their daily activities, and their overall health. The main question the study asks is how many participants have a problem with the new hip within five years, such as the hip coming out of place, an infection, a break in the bone around the implant, or the implant becoming loose.
Try anti-gravity treadmill sessions to improve knee arthritis symptoms
Purpose: The aim of the study will be to evaluate the effectiveness of traditional physiotherapy supported by gait re-education using the R-Force bodyweight-supported treadmill in improving gait parameters, range of motion, knee joint function, quality of life, and body composition in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The study will be conducted in the form of a prospective, randomized clinical trial with participants divided into two therapeutic groups: a control group and an experimental group. The therapeutic program will last 4 weeks and will be implemented 3 times a week. Changes in gait parameters, range of motion, knee joint function, quality of life, and body composition will be evaluated.Material: The study will include patients ≥ 40 years of age with knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 or 3), confirmed radiologically, reporting pain lasting ≥ 3 months. Participants (n = 80) will be randomly assigned to the control group (conventional physiotherapy) or the experimental group (conventional physiotherapy + training on the R-Force treadmill).Methods: Participants will be assessed at three time points: before the intervention (baseline), after completing the 4-week therapeutic program (postintervention), and after 8 weeks (follow-up). The methods used will include: analysis of gait parameters on the R-Force treadmill, 6-Minute Walk Test (6MWT), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, measurements of knee joint range of motion using a goniometer, thigh and lower leg circumference measurements, body composition analysis using the BIA method, subjective pain assessment using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Laitinen scale, pressure pain threshold assessment using a digital algometer, functional assessment using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) and Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) questionnaires, quality of life assessment (WHOQOL-BREF), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), as well as assessment of periarticular structures using ultrasound.
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