Popular supplements fail to ease arthritis pain

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Lax regulations
Unlike drugs, such supplements are only loosely regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and their makers don’t have to prove the products are safe or effective.

One consumer who plans to keep using the supplements is 72-year-old Irene Schwartzburt. She said the remedies relieved the “sticking pain” in her right knee when painkillers failed.

“I want to stay active,” said the retired teacher from Plainview, N.Y. “The supplements work for me so why not continue with them?”

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In the government study, 1,583 patients with arthritis knee pain received one of five treatments: either glucosamine or chondroitin, a combination of both, the painkiller Celebrex or dummy pills. Neither the doctors nor patients knew which treatment was given.

After six months, patients filled out a questionnaire to determine how many felt a 20 percent reduction in pain. Researchers found the supplements when taken alone or together were no more effective than dummy pills at pain relief.

Sixty percent who took the dummy medication had reduced pain compared with 64 percent who took glucosamine, 65 percent who took chondroitin and 67 percent who took the combo pills. These differences were so small that they could have occurred by chance alone.

The drug Celebrex did reduce pain — 70 percent reported improvement — affirming the study’s validity. However, the drug is being studied to see if it’s safe for people at risk of heart problems.

Of the 354 people with moderate to severe pain, 79 percent who took both supplements reported relief compared with 54 percent who took the dummy pills and 69 percent who took Celebrex.

In a journal editorial, Dr. Marc Hochberg of the University of Maryland noted the study’s limitations: a high dropout rate (20 percent) and a whopping 60 percent who said the dummy pills made them feel better — double the usual placebo effect. Hochberg has received consulting fees from Pfizer Inc., which makes Celebrex, and Merck & Co., which made Vioxx.

Clegg, the lead researcher, and 10 other scientists who worked on the study reported receiving fees or grant support from Pfizer or McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, which makes Tylenol.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition, which represents dietary supplement makers, said it was pleased about the positive findings in the severe arthritis group.

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