by Lori Solomon

Colchicine fails to improve knee pain, function, or size of synovial effusions with painful knee osteoarthritis (OA), according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, held from Nov. 14 to 19 in Washington, D.C.

Jonathan Samuels, M.D., from NYU Langone in Rye Brook, New York, and colleagues assessed whether daily colchicine improves pain, function, and synovial effusion size in patients with knee OA. The analysis included 120 participants with painful knee OA and radiographic Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) grades 2 or 3 who were randomly assigned to daily colchicine or placebo (1:1) for 12 weeks.

From baseline to end of treatment for the two groups, the researchers found no significant between-group differences in mean changes of visual analog scale (VAS) pain, Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score subscores, or sonographic size of synovial effusions in millimeters. In a per-protocol study completer subset analysis, findings persisted.

No significant benefit was detected in subsets of patients with greater baseline inflammation or more severe VAS pain or radiographic KL severity. Acetaminophen use, which was allowed as needed, was not taken less often by patients assigned to colchicine.

“Whether longer treatment with colchicine, higher doses, or a larger cohort would improve pain and function or modify radiographic progression remains to be determined,” the authors write.

Two authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

More information: CoLchicine for Treatment of OsteoArthritis of the Knee: Clinical Outcomes from a 90-day Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study, acrabstracts.org/abstract/colc … bo-controlled-study/

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