Expensive Arthritis Treatment Not Worth It?

Ivanhoe Broadcast News—November 13, 2012

Carpometacarpal (CMC) osteoarthritis, caused by regular wear and tear, is common in individuals over 60. It occurs in 80% of women who are 80 or older. Research now shows that just because a treatment is more expensive, it doesn’t necessarily make it better.

A randomized, double blind clinical trial by researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery has revealed that corticosteroids are more effective than the more expensive treatment, hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc One, Genzyme Biosurgery), in providing pain relief to patients with thumb arthritis. The study also showed that both of these commonly used treatments provided clinically meaningful pain relief, but so did a placebo injection.

The new study is the first large randomized clinical trial in patients with CMC osteoarthritis (thumb arthritis).

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“On average, each of the therapies resulted in clinically meaningful improvement in pain," Lisa Mandl, M.D., MPH, a rheumatologist at Hospital for Special Surgery was quoted saying.

"What this study suggests is that a number of different injectable treatments might be effective for patients who have pain in their thumb and that the one that appeared to be the most effective was corticosteroids," Mandl continued.

"Overall, this was a negative trial. If you compare the three treatments to each other, neither the steroid nor Synvisc provided better pain relief than bupivacaine. Bupivacaine shouldn't do anything. It should numb and wear out in 20 minutes, but even that seems to help some people. What this suggests is that maybe the injection itself is making people feel better," Mandl added.

Researchers say that clinicians can consider trying any of the three treatments in their patients with CMC. They also point out that clinicians need to weigh the pros and cons of the different treatments.

Even patients with very severe osteoarthritis benefited from the treatments. Arthritis severity is measured by the amount of cartilage left in a joint; in Grade 4, there is no cartilage left and bone is grinding against bone.

"Even if you have a patient with terrible arthritis, it is worth trying one of these therapies," Mandl concluded.

This article originally appeared on ivanhoe.com.