City researchers reveal £1 a day arthritis wonder drug

S O U T H A M P T O N researchers have uncovered a £1 a day breakthrough drug which can help beat osteoarthritis, it has been revealed today. The pioneering discovery made by experts at the University of Southampton means patients suffering from the debilitating disease could avoid painful hip and knee replacement surgery. The new findings reveal the drug, already used to treat osteoporosis, does slow down the progression of the disease which destroys joints. Up until now, the only treatment for patients with osteoarthritis was medication to ease the pain, ahead of major surgery to replace the worn down joints. But thanks to the already proven safety record of the Protelos drug, in treating other conditions, it is expected to be available for osteoarthritis patients soon. Last December, the Daily Echo reported researchers at the university’s Medical Research Council (MRC) L i f e c o u r s e Epidemiology Unit were starting clinical trials to confirm their initial findings. An estimated 8.5 million people in the UK are affected by osteoarthritis, which results in the gradual wearing away of cartilage and bone. Each year, around 140,000 hip and knee replacements are performed on the NHS in England and Wales at a cost of more than £1 billion. Ads by Google Bone Mineral Density Sectra OneScreen calculates bone mineral density - Read more here! Sectra.com/Bone-Mineral-Density Back Pain Relief Free Riser Recliner Chair Offer! Proven Massage Eases Back Pain www.AdjustableBeds.com Now thanks to these new findings, many of these operations could be delayed or avoided by taking Protelos, potentially saving the taxpayer millions of pounds. Protelos costs £27 per month, which averages out to just 90p a day. Trial lead investigator, Professor Cyrus Cooper, director of the Medical Research Council (MRC) Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit at the university, said: “This is a major breakthrough. “Osteoarthritis is a painful and debilitating condition, and, for more than 20 years, we have been searching for a treatment which would allow us to alter the course of the disease, rather than just manage symptoms. “The results today could totally change the way we treat osteoarthritis. For the first time, we have a treatment which can slow development of this debilitating disease and could reduce, or even eliminate, the need for expensive and painful joint replacement surgery.” Professor Alan Silman, from the charity Arthritis Research UK, said: “This is the first time a drug has been shown to slow progression of osteoarthritis, as existing treatments for osteoarthritis just focus on symptoms.”