Potential directions for drug development for osteoarthritis.

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a frustrating disease for both patient and physician because neither cause nor cure is known and there are currently no disease-modifying drugs.

Objective: To review current therapeutic approaches as well as new findings regarding OA pathoetiology that could form the basis of future direction for the development of drugs to prevent or slow down disease progression.

Methods: After reviewing disease progression in human OA, as demonstrated by histological analyses, the reasons for cartilage erosion are explored and possible therapeutic approaches are highlighted.

Results/conclusions: OA may be an epigenetic disease. This new concept can explain many aspects of the disease and provide reasons why therapeutic approaches until now have met with little success.