Study finds acetaminophen to be useless in relieving osteoarthritis pain

A new analysis of published research studies has found that, in older patients with osteoarthritis, acetaminophen provides no more pain relief and improvement in day-to-day function than does a placebo.

The analysis, conducted in Switzerland and published Thursday in the journal The Lancet, folded together the findings of 74 randomised trials of painkillers conducted between 1980 and 2015 and reflected the response of 58,556 study participants.

In a commentary also published ialongside the study, Dr Nicholas Moore notes that the study’s most remarkable result is that acetominophen - called paracetamol in some countries - “does not seem to confer any demonstrable effect or benefit in osteoarthritis, at any dose.”

This finding, he added “is not entirely unexpected. Paracetamol has been on the market for as long as most of us remember. Its efficacy has never been properly established or quantified in chronic diseases, and is probably not as great as many would believe.”

Referring to concerns over acetaminophen’s potential for liver toxicity, Moore added: “Its safety is also questioned, not just in overdose.”

The study also found that several nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) had high probabilities of improving arthritis pain of the hips and knees.

But with the addictive properties of opioid painkillers, the heart concerns surrounding NSAIDs and the apparent ineffectiveness of acetaminophen, the dearth of safe and effective painkillers is a particular problem for the roughly 27 million Americans over age 60 who suffer from osteoarthritis.