Should clinical studies involving 'regenerative injection therapy,' strive to incorporate a triad of outcome measures instead of only including clinical outcome measures?

摘要

A number of reviews, including one by Zhu et al. in the November 2013 issue of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, have recently been published highlighting the evolving 'bench to bedside' research on Regenerative Injection Therapies (RIT) for Osteoarthritis (OA). The impact of this globally debilitating pandemic is well documented.Under the correct circumstances, the joint appears to have the ability to transiently and partially repair the extracellular matrix, but efforts to develop synthetic disease modifying drugs for OA similar to the DMARD's used in rheumatologic arthritides has been unsuccessful thus far. There is currently no "cure" and definitive treatment remains total joint arthroplasty, which has its own limitations and shortcomings. Thus, interest has incrementally developed in "Orthobiologics" to fill this crucial void by attempting to enhance innate capabilities. The Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) market, valued at dollar45 million in 2009, is expected to triple over the next few years, an upsurge primarily driven by sports medicine.