Introduction:

The use of chondroprotectives was presented as a better strategy aimed at the treatment of osteoarthritis due to its attributed chondromodulatory effect and greater safety. However, their use is disputed.

The aim of the present work was to review and compare the chondroprotectives in terms of efficacy (on pain, function and joint narrowing), safety and economic profitability in the management of osteoarthritis.

Methodology:

A bibliographic search of the literature published has been carried out. The databases used were Medline and Scopus. The medical guide of the ESCEO (European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoathritis), the epidemiological study of the Spanish Society of Rheumatology and the technical sheets of medicines of the Spanish Agency of Medicines were reviewed.

Results:

A total of 152 articles were identified with the search algorithms used and the inclusion/exclusion criteria applied. After having read titles and abstracts, 79 were excluded because they did not conform to the required methodological quality or to treat other applications other than osteoarthritis. After reading the rest of the articles in their entirety, 36 articles were finally selected that were adapted to the objective of this work.

Conclusions:

The clinical trials that evaluated diacerein and chondroitin sulfate had highly variable designs that could justify the variability of the results obtained. With the underfunding of these drugs by the SNS, the expected savings could be reversed by the use of more expensive healthcare resources in the future given the short-term focus of permanent therapies.

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