Short-Term Recovery Trajectories of Acute Flares in Knee Pain: A UK-Netherlands Multicenter Prospective Cohort Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify distinct recovery trajectories of acute flares of knee pain and associated participant characteristics. METHODS: Data were from the FLARE randomized controlled trial, a multicenter trial in 27 primary care centers in the UK and Netherlands of 3 regimes of oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory therapy for acute flares of knee pain. Individuals with a history of inflammatory/crystal arthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic pain syndrome were excluded. Latent class growth analysis was applied to measures of pain intensity repeated over 5 days to identify distinct recovery trajectories. The concurrent courses of interference with activity, stiffness, and swelling for each trajectory group were modelled using generalized estimating equations. Participant age, sex, obesity, and osteoarthritis diagnosis were described for each trajectory group. RESULTS: A total of 449 participants were included (median age 55 years, 41% female, 35% obese, and 42% diagnosed with osteoarthritis). A 6-group cubic model was deemed optimal, with trajectories distinguished by rate of pain reduction and absolute level at final measurement. At the extremes were rapid and near-complete resolution (n = 41, 9%) and persistent, high pain (n = 25, 6%), but most participants showed a reduction and plateau in pain severity within 3-5 days. Within each pain trajectory group, interference with activity, stiffness, and swelling followed the same course as pain. Baseline characteristics did not differ substantially between trajectory groups. CONCLUSION: Even under a well-adhered to regime of oral nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medication, recovery following acute flares of knee pain is heterogeneous. Our observations that favorable trajectories are apparent within 3-5 days can help to inform treatment decision-making in the patient-health care professional consultation.

Evidence for safety and efficacy of risedronate in men with osteoporosis over 4 years of treatment: Results from the 2-year, open-label, extension study of a 2-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

A 2-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in men with osteoporosis demonstrated that treatment with risedronate 35mg once a week significantly decreased bone turnover markers (BTMs) and increased bone mineral density (BMD). This study was extended to include a 2-year, open-label extension to continue to assess the safety and efficacy of risedronate in men with osteoporosis. In the open-label extension, all patients received risedronate 35mg once a week, and 1000mg elemental calcium and 400 to 500IU vitamin D daily for up to 2 years. The safety of risedronate was evaluated based on adverse events, laboratory data, vital signs, and physical examination results. BMD, BTMs, and the incidence of new vertebral fractures were also assessed. A total of 218 (of 284) patients enrolled in the open-label extension. Risedronate continued to produce significant increases in lumbar spine BMD from baseline (7.87%) in the group of patients who took it for 4 years. Risedronate produced significant increases in lumbar spine BMD from baseline (6.27%) in the former placebo group who took it for 2 years during the open-label extension. Few new vertebral and clinical fractures occurred during the study. There were no significant differences in BTMs between the two groups at months 36 and 48. Incidences of any upper GI adverse events during the extension were low and similar in the two groups; however, the percent of moderate to severe events were higher (8% versus 2%) in the group that received placebo prior to the extension. Safety results continued to show that risedronate was well-tolerated in men with osteoporosis. Patients who received risedronate 35mg once a week for 2years in the open-label extension study showed similar safety and efficacy results compared with those who received risedronate treatment in the first 2 double-blind years of the study. Patients who received risedronate for 4 years in total showed similar safety and efficacy to that observed in women with postmenopausal osteoporosis treated with risedronate for 4 years. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier number: NCT00619957).

Once-weekly risedronate in men with osteoporosis: results of a 2-year, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter study.

Male osteoporosis is increasingly recognized as a major public health issue. This multinational, 2-yr, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to determine the efficacy and safety of 35 mg once-a-week risedronate in men with osteoporosis. Patients had to be men >or=30 yr old, with lumbar spine T-score

Development of musculoskeletal toxicity without clear benefit after administration of PG-116800, a matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor, to patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized, 12-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter, parallel-group, dose-response study of the efficacy and safety of the oral administration of PG-116800, a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) inhibitor, in patients with mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis. The primary efficacy endpoints included the progression of joint space narrowing in the osteoarthritic knee, as measured by microfocal radiography with fluoroscopic positioning, and the reduction of symptoms (pain and stiffness) and/or the improvement of function, as measured by the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities osteoarthritis index (WOMAC). Four hundred and one patients were randomly assigned to either placebo (n = 80) or one of fourdoses of PG-116800: 25 mg (n = 81), 50 mg (n = 80), 100 mg (n = 80), or 200 mg (n = 80) taken twice daily for 12 months. During the study, the 200-mg dose was discontinued based on an increased frequency of musculoskeletal adverse effects. After 1 year of treatment, no statistically significant difference was observed between placebo and PG-116800 with regard to mean changes in minimum joint space width of the knee or to WOMAC scores. The most frequent adverse effect was arthralgia (35%). Twenty-three percent of evaluable patients had at least a 30% decrease from baseline of at least onerange-of-motion measurement of either shoulder at a follow-up visit. The percentage of patients with reduction in range of motion was significantly greater in the twohighest dose groups relative to placebo. Thirteen percent of patients, half of whom were in the 200-mg group, reported hand adverse events (oedema, palmar fibrosis, Dupuytren contracture, or persistent tendon thickness or nodules). The threemost frequent shoulder adverse events were reversible arthralgia, stiffness, and myalgia, which mostly affected the twohighest dose groups. The unfavorable risk-benefit balance of the MMP inhibitor PG-116800 in patients with knee osteoarthritis precludes further development of the compound for this indication. This study adds to the weight of evidence suggesting that side effect profiles of MMP inhibitors in general make them unsuitable for use in osteoarthritis.