Journal
THERAPIE
Volume 61, Issue 4, Pages 341-346Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.2515/therapie:2006063
Keywords
osteoarthritis; chondroitin sulphate; NSAIDs; analgesics; observational study; drug utilization
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In clinical trials, long-term use of a specific chondroitin sulphate, Chondrosulf (R) 400 (CS400) has demonstrated symptomatic efficacy in osteoarthritis comparable to that of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) with significantly fewer side-effects. CS400 could therefore reduce the use of and risks associated with NSAIDs. A cross-sectional observational study was therefore devised in 199 randomly selected pharmacies in France to verify the concomitant use of analgesic and NSAIDs medication in patients prescribed CS400. Consecutive patients filling a prescription for CS400 were prospectively recruited and classified into recent users (3 months or less of continuous use) and long-term users (more than 3 months of continuous use) of CS400. The main outcome measure was current and long-term use of analgesics and NSAIDs. The 844 participating patients included 623 (73.8%) women and 221 (26.2%) men. Mean age was 65.9 years. Ninety eight (11.6%) patients did not use any analgesic or NSAIDs for osteoarthritis; 746 (88.4%) reported the use of at least one of these drugs. Compared to recent users, long-term users of CS400 had a significantly lower current (44.4 versus 52.5%, p < 0.05) and long-term use of NSAIDs (11.8% versus 18.5%, p < 0.05), and of analgesics (70.3 versus 79.3%, p < 0.01).
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