Osteoarthritis is a type of arthritis that causes pain, inflammation, and stiffness in the joints. It’s also known as degenerative and wear-and-tear arthritis, caused by the erosion over time of the cartilage that protects your bones.

This usually affects those who are older than 50 years of age.

Currently, there’s no cure for osteoarthritis. So treatment for the condition focuses on providing relief and management of the symptoms.

But new medications hold the promise of preventing the development of the condition and further relieving pain and inflammation.

What potential new treatments are being developed?

Older adult female emptying a pill bottle into her palm to depict medication for osteoarthritis. — Valbar STUDIO/Stocksy United

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting 32.5 million adults in the United States. The condition usually occurs in older adults — and more often in women — as the tissues of the joint begin to break down, resulting in the following symptoms:

pain
inflammation
redness
stiffness

Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, but it most commonly affects joints in the following parts of the body:

hips
hands
lower back
neck
knees

Healthcare professionals prescribe medications for osteoarthritis mainly to reduce and manage symptoms of the condition. Recently, experts have been testing two new medications to help prevent the development of the condition and provide another pain-relieving option.

These are talarozole and resiniferatoxin. Both of these medications are non-opioid pain relievers.

Talarozole

Talarozole blocks the breakdown of retinoic acid. This, as a result, increases the levels of retinoic acid, which plays a role in reducing inflammation. People with osteoarthritis tend to have low levels of retinoic acid.

A 2022 study suggests that talarozole could help reduce damage and inflammation of the cartilage and improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis. It could also prevent the development of the condition.

Another 2022 study had similar findings and reported that talarozole suppresses inflammation genes in cartilage injury.

Experts originally investigated talarozole to treat acne, psoriasis, and other skin conditions. This new purpose of this medication in the treatment and prevention of osteoarthritis — particularly hand osteoarthritis — holds the promise of not only preventing but also reverting the effects of the condition.

Still, this medication has yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and further research is still needed to understand its effectiveness in treating osteoarthritis.

Resiniferatoxin

Resiniferatoxin (RTX) is a substance found in a cactus-like plant known as Euphorbia resinifera. It’s the hottest chemical known — 1,000 hotter than capsaicin, the active component in chili peppers that’s also used in the treatment of pain.

Resiniferatoxin has been used as a pain reliever because it can eliminate the nerve endings that signal pain and can provide relief to those with advanced cancer or other conditions that cause chronic pain.

Resiniferatoxin received the FDA’s breakthrough therapy designation in managing pain from knee osteoarthritis and is currently in its clinical trial phase.

Other medications

Other medications are currently being developed to treat osteoarthritis symptoms. These include:

canakinumab
gevokizumab
lutikisumab
infliximab
tanezumab

These medications and others are still undergoing clinical trials and further research is still needed for them to be approved.

Possible side effects

These medications may cause some side effects, and it’s important to keep in mind that many of these treatments are still under clinical trial.

Possible side effects of resiniferatoxin include:

pain at the injection site
nausea
vomiting
headache
high blood pressure
numbness
joint stiffness

Talarozole is still in clinical trial stage, and there haven’t been significant side effects reports of the medication.

Medication alternatives

Other medications taken to treat the symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol)
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil) and naproxen (Aleve)
corticosteroids such as prednisone (Prelone)
antidepressants such as duloxetine (Cymbalta)

Several alternative treatments can help to reduce pain and improve the range of motion in people with osteoarthritis. This includes:

therapies, such as physical and occupational therapy
maintaining a moderate weight
eating a balanced diet
exercising regularly
avoiding inflammatory foods, alcohol, and smoking, if applicable
having anti-inflammatory supplements, such as curcumin and omega-3

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Summary

Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis that causes inflammation, pain, and stiffness of the joints. It tends to affect people older than 50 years of age.

The condition affects all joints in the body, but particularly the joints of the hands, neck, hips, and lower back.

Osteoarthritis doesn’t have a cure, and treatment is geared toward lowering and managing symptoms of pain and inflammation, as well as improving range of motion.

Still, new medications are emerging that can help relieve severe pain without taking opioids and prevent and reverse osteoarthritis symptoms. Some of these new medications that are currently being developed include talarozole and resiniferatoxin.

They are still undergoing clinical trials, and further research is needed in order for them to be approved.

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