Yale study suggests lacosamide eases osteoarthritis pain and repairs cartilage
Yale scientists have found that lacosamide, a drug used for epilepsy, might also help people with osteoarthritis by easing joint pain and helping repair cartilage.
What's cool is that these effects are even stronger when the drug is delivered straight into the joint using a special hydrogel.
Researchers' collagen hydrogel outperforms oral lacosamide
Researchers designed a type II collagen-based hydrogel that can be injected as a liquid and then turns into a firm, jelly-like material inside the body, slowly releasing lacosamide over time.
In early studies, monthly injections with this system worked better at protecting cartilage than taking the drug by mouth every day.
Since lacosamide is already US Food and Drug Administration-approved, this approach could speed up clinical trials and bring real hope to people living with osteoarthritis.