Most pharmacological treatments for hand osteoarthritis are no better than placebo, according to Danish rheumatologists who say only oral NSAIDs and glucocorticoids have been shown to be effective.

Their review of 65 clinical trials suggests intra-articular hyaluronate, intra-articular glucocorticoids and hydroxychloroquine are ineffective for hand osteoarthritis (OA), while the efficacy of topical NSAIDs “remains uncertain”.

“Many pharmacological treatments for hand OA pain are available, of which most have no proven efficacy,” the University of Copenhagen–led team wrote in RMD Open.

Using data from more than 5200 patients, mostly women, the doctors compared the efficacy of 29 pharmacological interventions against placebo or standard care for reducing hand OA pain.