The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (TQEH) is seeking participants for a study examining new therapies for the treatment and prevention of knee osteoarthritis.
The study is seeking 260 knee osteoarthritis patients, aged 40 – 64 years, for a 6-month randomised controlled trial. With 60% of knee osteoarthritis sufferers experiencing local joint swelling, the study will investigate whether a new medicine can improve knee pain and decrease knee swelling.
Professor Catherine Hill, Head of Unit Rheumatology, Central Adelaide Local Health Network said, ‘New treatments are urgently required for knee osteoarthritis and we hope that you can help us trial a new medication to find out whether it is effective in helping knee pain in patients with osteoarthritis.’
As a randomised controlled trial, some patients will receive the drug, while others will receive a placebo. The study will be conducted over 6 months, and will involve only 4 visits to TQEH. These visits occur at screening, then at baseline, week 12 (half-way) and at week 24 (end of active treatment phase). In between the TQEH visits, participants will be asked to complete questionnaires via email.
If the treatment is effective, participants may experience reduced knee pain and a reduction in joint inflammation.
Participants in the study will need to:
- be aged 40 to 64 years old;
- have significant knee pain on most days;
- pass screening assessment to determine eligibility (diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis and swelling in knee joint)
- be willing to participate in the study for 24 weeks.
Funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, the clinical trial will be held at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, an established leader in medical research.
The tests and the treatment with the medicine in the clinical trial will be provided at no cost and reasonable travel expenses may be reimbursed.
If you are interested in hearing more about this study and what it involves, please register your interest by contacting (08) 8222 7369 or email carlee.ruediger@sa.gov.au or kate.dyer@sa.gov.au
