Chondroitin sulfate to treat advanced osteoarthritis in the knees, hips and hands

Chondroitin sulfate is a natural component of cartilage and is manufactured artificially from animal cartilage as a drug. It is used in people with advanced osteoarthritis (arthritis) in the hands, knees and hips to prevent cartilage deterioration in the joints. This report looks at the efficacy and safety of this treatment, as well as the cost effectiveness and budgetary impact.

The review was based on 26 studies, the majority of which focused on osteoarthritis of the knee. Compared with a placebo drug or analgesics, treatment with chondroitin sulfate resulted in a clear reduction in pain and functional impairment for the first six months. This difference later disappeared. There were barely any serious side effects and no social, ethical or organisational problems in administering chondroitin sulfate.

The report concludes that while chondroitin sulfate brought about greater pain relief in the short term, this difference compared with other treatment methods disappeared again after six months. In terms of cost effectiveness, the analyses did not yield a clear picture. Patient organisations estimate that if chondroitin sulfate were no longer reimbursed, around half of patients would switch to other medications. This would save CHF 2.4 million a year.

Dokumente

HTA report (PDF, 4 MB, 07.04.2021)

Stakeholder feedback on the HTA report (PDF, 382 kB, 07.04.2021)

Scoping report (PDF, 1 MB, 01.05.2019)

Stakeholder feedback on the scoping report (PDF, 284 kB, 01.05.2019)

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Chondroitin sulfate to treat advanced osteoarthritis in the knees, hips and hands

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