Duloxetine reduces pain, improves function in Knee osteoarthritis

Duloxetine reduced pain and improved function in patients with knee osteoarthritis, without causing X-ray abnormalities or altered knee joint mobility, according to a study published in the journal Dovepress.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common, chronic degenerative disease associated with cartilage degeneration and joint deformity that leads to pain and subsequent impairments in health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Knee OA, a very common form of OA, is a leading cause of disability worldwide

Yuji Uchio and his associates conducted a study to examine the efficacy and safety of duloxetine in patients with knee pain due to osteoarthritis.

A total of 354 patients included in the multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study conducted at 47 medical institutions in Japan were randomized to receive duloxetine 60 mg/day or placebo for 14 weeks in a double-blind manner. The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean change in Brief Pain Inventory pain severity (BPI-Severity) average pain and secondary endpoints included improvement in other BPI-Severity scales.

Out of the 354 randomized patients, 161 in the duloxetine group and 162 in the placebo group completed the study.

The study found that:

• BPI-Severity average pain improved significantly with duloxetine vs. placebo (−2.57 vs. −1.80) at week 14.


• Compared with placebo, patients treated with duloxetine had significant improvements in all measures of pain, stiffness, and physical function (BPI-Severity, 24-hour BPI-Severity, WOMAC scores, and OMERACT-OARSI response rate)


• Adverse events observed in ≥5% of patients that were more frequent in the duloxetine than placebo group was somnolence, constipation, dry mouth, nausea, malaise, and decreased appetite.


• There were no marked changes in a range of motion of the knee joint (efficacy), X-ray images, or Kellgren–Lawrence grade (safety) in either group.

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The study concluded that duloxetine showed superior clinical efficacy to placebo in pain reduction in patients with knee OA. The study revealed greater improvements in HRQoL in duloxetine-treated patients compared with placebo. The safety of duloxetine was consistent with its known safety profile. No marked changes were found in the joint structure on plain X-ray images in duloxetine-treated patients. Altogether, these findings suggest that duloxetine may be considered for the alleviation of pain in patients with pain due to knee OA.

For reference log on to https://doi.org/10.2147/JPR.S164128