Breakthrough arthritis treatments will be available in five years

PENTOSAN POLYSULPHATE

A medication called Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium — used for 70 years to treat blood clots and urinary tract infections in women — is being repurposed by Australian company Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals as an injectable osteoarthritis treatment. Patients get two injections a week for six weeks and small studies suggest it reduces pain by around 30 per cent for 12 to 18 months. The drug has been used for more than 20 years to treat osteoarthritis in dogs and horses. Former AFL players and NFL players in the US have had improvements in their injury-related osteoarthritis after using it.

Chief Medical Officer for Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Dr Donna Skerrett said it had favourable effects on inflammation, pain, tissue preservation and also improved blood flow. Final stage clinical trials in Australia are taking recruits now. It could be on the market by 2025 at a cost of $2500 for a six week course of injections. Former doctor for AFL team Carlton Dr Phil Bloom, who is running clinical trials, said one patient had an allergic reaction similar to the blood clots caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine and one in 10,000 people may be affected but most of his patients received a 30 to 80 per cent improvement in their symptoms.