@article {Hochbergannrheumdis-2014-206792, author = {Marc C Hochberg and Johanne Martel-Pelletier and Jordi Monfort and Ingrid M{\"o}ller and Juan Ram{\'o}n Castillo and Nigel Arden and Francis Berenbaum and Francisco J Blanco and Philip G Conaghan and Gema Dom{\'e}nech and Yves Henrotin and Thomas Pap and Pascal Richette and Allen Sawitzke and Patrick du Souich and Jean-Pierre Pelletier}, title = {Combined chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine for painful knee osteoarthritis: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial versus celecoxib}, elocation-id = {annrheumdis-2014-206792}, year = {2015}, doi = {10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-206792}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group Ltd}, abstract = {Objectives To compare the efficacy and safety of chondroitin sulfate plus glucosamine hydrochloride (CS+GH) versus celecoxib in patients with knee osteoarthritis and severe pain. Methods Double-blind Multicentre Osteoarthritis interVEntion trial with SYSADOA (MOVES) conducted in France, Germany, Poland and Spain evaluating treatment with CS+GH versus celecoxib in 606 patients with Kellgren and Lawrence grades 2{\textendash}3 knee osteoarthritis and moderate-to-severe pain (Western Ontario and McMaster osteoarthritis index (WOMAC) score >=301; 0{\textendash}500 scale). Patients were randomised to receive 400 mg CS plus 500 mg GH three times a day or 200 mg celecoxib every day for 6 months. The primary outcome was the mean decrease in WOMAC pain from baseline to 6 months. Secondary outcomes included WOMAC function and stiffness, visual analogue scale for pain, presence of joint swelling/effusion, rescue medication consumption, Outcome Measures in Rheumatology Clinical Trials and Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OMERACT-OARSI) criteria and EuroQoL-5D. Results The adjusted mean change (95\% CI) in WOMAC pain was -185.7 (-200.3 to -171.1) (50.1\% decrease) with CS+GH and -186.8 (-201.7 to -171.9) (50.2\% decrease) with celecoxib, meeting the non-inferiority margin of -40: -1.11 (-22.0 to 19.8; p=0.92). All sensitivity analyses were consistent with that result. At 6 months, 79.7\% of patients in the combination group and 79.2\% in the celecoxib group fulfilled OMERACT-OARSI criteria. Both groups elicited a reduction \>50\% in the presence of joint swelling; a similar reduction was seen for effusion. No differences were observed for the other secondary outcomes. Adverse events were low and similarly distributed between groups. Conclusions CS+GH has comparable efficacy to celecoxib in reducing pain, stiffness, functional limitation and joint swelling/effusion after 6 months in patients with painful knee osteoarthritis, with a good safety profile. Trial registration number: NCT01425853.}, issn = {0003-4967}, URL = {https://ard.bmj.com/content/early/2015/01/14/annrheumdis-2014-206792}, eprint = {https://ard.bmj.com/content/early/2015/01/14/annrheumdis-2014-206792.full.pdf}, journal = {Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases} }