Drug May Help Prevent Women's Osteoarthritis

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Some of the rats received calcitonin or estrogen, while some got nothing; a separate group of rats had no ovary operation.

The researchers found that calcitonin worked better than estrogen at preventing joint deterioration.

"The suggestion from this work is that estrogen deficiency after menopause is important," said Gallagher, who's familiar with the study findings.

Calcitonin is currently available as a nasal spray and an injection, although those forms haven't been investigated as possible osteoarthritis treatments, Karsdal said. In the United States, doctors can use approved drugs for "off-label" uses that are not recommended.

The oral form, which was tested in the study, is not on the market.

The next step in research is to investigate whether calcitonin could bring the development of osteoarthritis to a halt, Karsdal said. Two ongoing studies in humans should hopefully "provide a novel and effective treatment for osteoarthritis," although they won't be finished for three years, Karsdal said.

More information

Learn more about osteoarthritis from the U.S. National Institutes of Health.