OSTEOARTHRITIS PAIN IS RELIEVED BY TOPICALLY APPLIED CIVAMIDE

Year: 1999

Poster #: 610

Authors: Joel E. Bernstein; Scott B. Phillips; Charles Birbara; Rashid Khairi

Classification: None

Themes: 05 Arthritis & rheumatic pain

Description:

Civamide (cis-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide) is a vanilloid receptor agonist and neuronal calcium channel blocker that inhibits the release of excitatory neurotransmitters and depletes neurons of their neuropeptide content. Neuropeptides such as substance P have been implicated in the transmission and sensation of arthritis pain. A double-blind vehicle-controlled parallel-group multi-center study was performed in 179 patients with painful osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Males and females at least 40 years of age with moderate to severe OA pain due to primary or post-traumatic OA applied either 0.075% civamide cream or cream vehicle QID to the knees for four weeks. Two (2), 7, 14, 21 and 28 days after initiation of treatment, pain was assessed in the treated joints by means of a visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain severity, Physician's Global and Patient's Global Evaluations of Pain Severity and a tenderness assessment made by palpitation of knee joints by the investigator. In civamide treated patients, after seven days of treatment, pain evaluated by the VAS was reduced by a mean of nearly 40%, and after 4 weeks, pain was reduced by a mean of 55%. After 4 weeks of treatment, statistically significant reductions in OA knee pain were observed for civamide treated joints versus those treated with vehicle for all four efficacy variables measured. Transient burning and stinging reactions at application sites were the only side effects noted. The results demonstrate that civamide 0.075% cream is a safe and effective treatment for pain associated with OA of the knees. (The support of Winston Laboratories, Inc. for this project is gratefully acknowledged.)