Double-blind clinical trial of S-adenosylmethionine versus ibuprofen in the treatment of osteoarthritis

Müller-Fassbender H · The American Journal of Medicine

The total score summing morning stiffness, pain at rest, pain on motion, crepitus, swelling and limitation of motion improved to the same extent in both arms. Both treatments were well tolerated and nobody withdrew from either group.

Population

36 subjects with osteoarthritis of the knee, hip and/or spine

Intervention

Oral S-adenosylmethionine 1,200 mg daily for four weeks

Comparator

Ibuprofen 1,200 mg daily

Limitations

Thirty-six patients, four weeks, no placebo arm and no effect sizes — a trial this small cannot detect a difference between two active treatments, so equivalence here is the absence of evidence rather than evidence of equivalence. Full text was not retrievable.