Medical treatment for osteoarthritis: what avenues for the future?

The pharmacological treatment of osteoarthritis is limited to the management of symptoms, and to date we have no treatment that can affect the structural component of the disease. However, advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease have opened up promising avenues for limiting the progression of osteoarthritis and even repairing tissues damaged by the disease, particularly cartilage. Treatments targeting cartilage primarily aim to promote anabolic processes in chondrocytes: examples include sprifermin, a growth factor (FGF18), or LNA043, a molecule that helps recruit endogenous stem cells to repair damaged tissue. Other therapeutic targets exist, such as subchondral bone tissue or the synovial membrane, with mixed results. At the same time, a better understanding of the mechanisms of osteoarthritis pain may lead to specific and effective treatments in the coming years. The large number of clinical trials currently underway in osteoarthritis raises hopes for major changes in the osteoarthritis pharmacological landscape in the future, but there are still many challenges for the companies developing such drugs.