Good news for osteoarthritis sufferers

Good news for osteoarthritis sufferers.
Media Release from GlaxoSmithKline NZ
27 September 2009

Key Points

• New paracetamol formulation makes it easier to keep pain at bay for osteoarthritis sufferers

• PANADOL® Osteo provides 24 hours of pain relief in three daily doses

• New dosing regime a major step towards osteoarthritis management

• It used to be called wear and tear arthritis but whatever you call it, osteoarthritis is something that will affect most of us as we age. It’s estimated almost half of those over 60 and nearly all of those over 80 will suffer the joint pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis. Keeping mobile is an important part of treating the condition but to stay on the move you need to deal with the pain. This is why a new paracetamol formulation is such good news for osteoarthritis sufferers.

For years paracetamol has been recognised as the first line treatment against the debilitating pain of osteoarthritis but now PANADOL® Osteo has been released to make it easier for patients to maintain pain relief.

Osteoarthritis sufferers are not always compliant with paracetamol dosed four times daily and this under-dosing may lead to inadequate therapeutic response and a perception of poor efficacy.1,2,3 PANADOL® Osteo contains 665mg of Paracetamol in each sustained release caplet, which provides 24 hour pain relief from the pain of osteoarthritis in just 3 daily doses.3,4,5

Reducing the daily dosage to just three offers improved convenience and the potential to enhance compliance and pain relief. 5,6 Its bi-layer technology allows for a combination of immediate release paracetamol for rapid onset of action and sustained release paracetamol for eight hours of pain relief.

This new formulation allows health specialists to re-enforce paracetamol as a first-line treatment, and potentially reduce unnecessary use of over the counter NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen to minimise the potential adverse risks associated with these agents.

Under-dosing can also be an issue. People tend to treat their pain as it increases rather than on a time-scheduled basis. But dosing in persistent pain should be time contingent, not pain contingent, to avoid breakthrough pain,3 which is why PANADOL® Osteo has been developed. Long term pain affects the osteoarthritis sufferer in a number of ways usually resulting in decreased quality of life and reduced or disturbed sleep. Relieving pain over the full 24 hours is one of the primary objectives in the management of osteoarthritis.7

Paracetamol’s first-line position is even more important for elderly patients because it has few interactions with other drugs and is suitable for those suffering from health conditions such as heart, stomach and blood pressure problems. 8-12

ENDS

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