Outcomes of the use of the glycosaminoglycan-peptide complex as monotherapy and in combination with diacerein for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis in real-world practice

Background. Slow-acting symptomatic agents (chondroprotectors) in osteoarthritis (OA) combined therapy is a promising approach.

Aim. To compare the real-world results of combined therapy with glycosaminoglycan-peptide complex (GPC) and diacerein with GPC monotherapy in treating knee OA.

Materials and methods. Statistical analysis of the data obtained during the observational, non-interventional study was conducted. The study group included 9190 patients with OA, 69.0% females, age 60.9±11.4, with moderate/severe pain (≥4 using a 0–10 numerical rating scale). Of these, 6199 received a combination of GPC (Rumalon®, at least 20 intramuscular injections per course) + diacerein (Diaflex Rompharm) 100 mg/day, and 2991 patients received GPC monotherapy. The following indicators were evaluated: the change of pain during movement, at rest, and at night, the overall health assessment (using a 0–10 numerical rating scale), the number of patients with a pain reduction of ≥50% from the baseline, the patient's assessment of the treatment result using a 0–5 scale, a decrease in the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs 2 months after the start of therapy.

Results. The improvement of clinical indicators was more significant in patients who received a combination of GPC + diacerein, compared with GPC monotherapy: the decrease in pain during movement was 3.1±1.5 and 2.6±1.3, at rest – 1 [0; 2] and 1 [0; 1], at night 2 [1; 4] and 2 [1; 3], the overall health assessment was 3.7±1.7 and 3.2±1.8, respectively (for all indicators p<0.001). The percentage of patients with a ≥50% reduction in pain was 66.0 and 60.0% (p<0.001), the assessment of treatment results was "good" or "excellent" in 62.1 and 42.9% (p<0.001), a decrease in the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs was reported in 60.9 and 57.1% (p=0.001) of patients, respectively.

Conclusion. The therapeutic effect of the combination of GPC + diacerein in patients with OA is significantly higher than that of GPC monotherapy.