Division of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
WHO Collaborating Center for Public Health Aspects of Musculoskeletal Health and Aging, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
Aging Clin Exp Res. 2021 Jan;33(1):37-47. doi: 10.1007/s40520-020-01643-8. Epub 2020 Jul 7.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent musculoskeletal disease and a major cause of negative relevant outcomes, associated with an ever-increasing societal burden. Pharmaceutical-grade chondroitin sulfate (CS) was repeatedly reported to reduce pain and improve function in patients with OA. This article aims to review the evidence for the role of highly purified (hp) CS (Condrosulf, IBSA) in the treatment of OA. We collected and reported evidence concerning (1) efficacy of hpCS 800 mg/day in the treatment of OA affecting the knee, hand and hip; (2) efficacy and safety of hpCS 1200 mg/day also in the oral gel formulation; (3) the safety profile of hpCS; (4) the difference of hpCS and pharmaceutical-grade formulations versus food supplements; (5) pharmacoeconomic added value of hpCS. The data support that hpCS is an effective and safe treatment of OA, with its effect already evident at 30 days; in addition, its beneficial action is prolonged, being maintained for at least 3 months after the drug is discontinued. Full safety reports' analyses confirm that CS is safe to use and has almost no side effects, in particular, it showed better gastrointestinal tolerance if compared with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Moreover, the therapeutic strategy has proved to be cost-effective: treatment with CS reduced the use of NSAIDs and their side effects.
骨关节炎（OA）是最常见的肌肉骨骼疾病，也是导致负面相关结果的主要原因，与不断增加的社会负担有关。制药级硫酸软骨素（CS）已被反复报道可减轻 OA 患者的疼痛并改善其功能。本文旨在回顾高纯度（hp）CS（Condrosulf，IBSA）在 OA 治疗中的作用证据。我们收集并报告了以下方面的证据：（1）每天 800mg hpCS 治疗膝、手和髋 OA 的疗效；（2）每天 1200mg hpCS 口服凝胶制剂的疗效和安全性；（3）hpCS 的安全性概况；（4）hpCS 与药物级配方与食品补充剂的区别；（5）hpCS 的药物经济学附加值。数据支持 hpCS 是一种有效的 OA 治疗方法，其疗效在 30 天内即可显现；此外，其有益作用可延长，在停药后至少 3 个月内仍可维持。对完整的安全性报告进行分析证实，CS 安全且使用几乎无副作用，与非甾体抗炎药（NSAIDs）相比，它具有更好的胃肠道耐受性。此外，该治疗策略已被证明具有成本效益：CS 治疗可减少 NSAIDs 的使用及其副作用。
