Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT)

Summary

This study will determine whether glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate and/or the combination of glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate are more effective than placebo and whether the combination is more effective than glucosamine or chondroitin sulfate alone in the treatment of knee pain associated with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee after six months of follow-up. These substances, marketed in the United States as dietary supplements, have been widely touted by the lay press and by anecdotal personal experience as effective in treating OA. To date, however, only a few small studies have been published in the worldwide literature. The study proposed herein has been carefully constructed to definitively determine the efficacy of these agents.

Timeline

Start

2000-04

Primary completion

—

Completion

2004-02

Publications

• Results Clegg DO, Reda DJ, Harris CL, Klein MA, O'Dell JR, Hooper MM, Bradley JD, Bingham CO 3rd, Weisman MH, Jackson CG, Lane NE, Cush JJ, Moreland LW, Schumacher HR Jr, Oddis CV, Wolfe F, Molitor JA, Yocum DE, Schnitzer TJ, Furst DE, Sawitzke AD, Shi H, Brandt KD, Moskowitz RW, Williams HJ. Glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and the two in combination for painful knee osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 2006 Feb 23;354(8):795-808. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa052771.
• Sawitzke AD, Shi H, Finco MF, Dunlop DD, Bingham CO 3rd, Harris CL, Singer NG, Bradley JD, Silver D, Jackson CG, Lane NE, Oddis CV, Wolfe F, Lisse J, Furst DE, Reda DJ, Moskowitz RW, Williams HJ, Clegg DO. The effect of glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulfate on the progression of knee osteoarthritis: a report from the glucosamine/chondroitin arthritis intervention trial. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Oct;58(10):3183-91. doi: 10.1002/art.23973.

Drugs

Indications