OBJECTIVES

: Osteoarthritis is a prevalent, debilitating condition with no disease modifying treatment currently available. Our aim was to assess the potential population in osteoarthritis that could benefit from a disease modifying osteoarthritis treatment (DMOAT).

METHODS

: Prevalence of the osteoarthritis population was estimated based on published scientific literature. Severity of joint erosion (based on Kellgren-Lawrence grade) was then calculated along with degree of pain experienced (using the WOMAC pain score) to create a grid of pain vs. joint erosion / disease severity. This was then used to assess clinical utility of DMOATs (based on residual joint structure and function) vs. likelihood that patient would be prescribed DMOAT (level of pain experienced).

RESULTS

: The overall burden of osteoarthritis in T5EU and USA markets is approximately 77 million patients. The majority of patients were ranked as experiencing only mild pain (83%), while 13% and 4% experienced moderate and severe pain respectively. The majority of patients were classified as K-L grade 2 (43%), while 31% were considered to be grade 3 or 4. Balancing severity of pain with joint degradation, an estimated 30% of patients would satisfy criteria for DMOAT treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

: Since there is no correlation between loss of joint function / joint erosion and pain experienced by the patient, selection of an eligible population for DMOAT therapy is less straight forward than it may otherwise appear. DMOATs can only be used if there is sufficient joint structure and function remaining to prevent further loss or to restore joint structure. These are not the most severely affected patients.