Pharmacotherapy for knee osteoarthritis: current and emerging therapies

Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of pain, loss of function and disability in the elderly, with the knee being the most impactful joint affected. Currently, there is still no 'cure' in OA treatment.

Areas covered: The authors review the current and emerging therapies for knee OA including traditional OA medications (oral and topical NSAIDs, acetaminophen, and opioids) and emerging treatments including disease-modifying OA drugs. The failures of agents that have been through clinical trials are also summarized. Furthermore, the authors provide their expert perspectives on the future of pharmacotherapy for knee osteoarthritis.

Expert opinion: Compared to traditional OA medications, new disease-modifying OA drugs that act by reducing inflammation and increasing cartilage repair show promise to address the unmet need of disease modification. Many of these new drugs, however, are in the preclinical stage. Long-term RCTs are expected to identify the safety and efficacy of novel OA pharmacotherapy medicines.