harpagoside and diacerein

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Harpagophytum in the treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis comparatively with the slow-acting drug for osteoarthritis, diacerhein.. A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study was conducted in 122 patients with hip and/or knee osteoarthritis. Treatment duration was four months and the primary evaluation criterion was the pain score on a visual analog scale. Harpagophytum 2,610 mg per day was compared with diacerhein 100 mg per day.. After four months, considerable improvements in osteoarthritis symptoms were seen in both groups, with no significant differences for pain, functional disability, or the Lequesne score. However, use of analgesic (acetaminophen-caffeine) and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (diclofenac) medications was significantly reduced in the Harpagophytum group, which also had a significantly lower rate of adverse events.. In this study, Harpagophytum was at least as effective as a reference drug (diacerhein) in the treatment of knee or hip osteoarthritis and reduced the need for analgesic and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Analgesics; Anthraquinones; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Diarrhea; Female; Glycosides; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis, Hip; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Pain; Pain Measurement; Pyrans; Severity of Illness Index; Treatment Outcome

In a double-blind, randomized, multicentre clinical study, the efficacy and tolerance of a herbal medicine product, Harpadol (6 capsules/day, each containing 435 mg of powdered cryoground powder Harpagophytum procumbens), was compared with diacerhein 100 mg/day in the treatment, for 4 months, of 122 patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee and hip. Assessments of pain and functional disability were made on a 10 cm horizontal visual analogue scale; severity of osteoarthritis was evaluated by Lequesne's index. Spontaneous pain showed a significant improvement during the course of the study and there was no difference in the efficacy of the two treatments. Similarly, there was a progressive and significant reduction in the Lequesne functional index and no statistical difference was found between Harpadol and diacerhein. At completion of the study, patients taking Harpadol were using significantly less NSAIDs and antalgic drugs. The frequency of adverse events was significantly lower in the Harpadol group. The most frequent event reported was diarrhea, occurring in 8.1% and 26.7% of Harpadol and diacerhein patients respectively. The global tolerance assessment by patients at the end of treatment favoured Harpadol. The results of this study demonstrate that Harpadol is comparable in efficacy and superior in safety to diacerhein.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Anthraquinones; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Double-Blind Method; Female; Glycosides; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis, Hip; Osteoarthritis, Knee; Pain; Pain Measurement; Pyrans; Severity of Illness Index; Treatment Outcome

Topics: Analgesics; Anthraquinones; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; Glycosides; Humans; Osteoarthritis; Pyrans; Therapeutic Equivalency