Introduction: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the leading cause of pain, loss of function, and disability among elderly, with the knee the most affected joint. It is a heterogeneous condition characterized by complex and multifactorial etiologies which contribute to the broad variation in symptoms presentation and treatment responses that OA patients present. This poses a challenge for the development of effective treatment on OA.

Areas Covered: This review will discuss recent development of agents for the treatment of OA, updating our previous narrative review published in 2015. They include drugs for controlling local and systemic inflammation, regulating articular cartilage, targeting subchondral bone, and relieving pain.

Expert Opinion: Although new OA drugs such as monoclonal antibodies have shown marked effects and favorable tolerance, current treatment options for OA remain limited. The authors believe there is no miracle drug that can be used for all OA patients'; treatment and disease stage is crucial for the effectiveness of drugs. Therefore, early diagnosis, phenotyping OA patients and precise therapy would expedite the development of investigational drugs targeting at symptoms and disease progression of OA.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Keywords:	ADAMTS, MMP inhibitors, TNF inhibitors, growth factors, inflammation, osteoarthritis, pain, subchondral bone, therapy
Research Division:	Biomedical and Clinical Sciences
Research Group:	Clinical sciences
Research Field:	Rheumatology and arthritis
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Clinical health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Ding, C (Professor Chang-Hai Ding)
ID Code:	131367
Year Published:	2018
Web of Science® Times Cited:	36
Deposited By:	Menzies Institute for Medical Research
Deposited On:	2019-03-14
Last Modified:	2019-09-09
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