FDA-approved epilepsy drug may help reverse osteoarthritis damage

Researchers at Yale have identified a promising new approach to osteoarthritis that could do more than simply ease pain. The epilepsy drug lacosamide appears to block a protein involved in both pain signaling and cartilage destruction, helping damaged joints shift back toward repair in preclinical studies. For millions of people with osteoarthritis, pain and stiffness can make everyday activities increasingly difficult. Common treatments, including over-the-counter medications and steroid injections, may reduce symptoms for a time, but they do not prevent the underlying joint damage from progressing. New research from Yale suggests a different approach. In a study published in Bioactive Materials, scientists found that the medication lacosamide can serve two purposes in osteoarthritis, reducing joint pain while also reversing cartilage damage.

The effects were particularly strong when the drug was delivered directly into the joint using a specialized hydrogel. Osteoarthritis is often called a condition caused by wear and tear, but that description leaves out much of the biology involved. Within a healthy joint, cells known as chondrocytes help maintain cartilage by continuously balancing the creation of new tissue with the removal of old material. Osteoarthritis disrupts that balance. Cartilage begins to break down faster than it can be replaced, eventually allowing bones to rub against one another. As the disease advances, some patients