To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy of anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) monoclonal antibodies in osteoarthritis pain (hip and knee).
Grade the evidence for anti-NGF use.
An interdisciplinary work group conducted a literature search for anti-NGF use in osteoarthritis. The systematic review was performed in accordance with methods described by the Cochrane collaboration. General inclusion criteria included all osteoarthritis trials studying any monoclonal anti-NGF antibody at any dose/phase. Excluded studies were those where participants received NSAIDs or analgesics other than anti-NGF antibodies. The Jadad Scale score was used to assess the quality of the included studies.
Thirteen studies were included in the analysis, involving 8145 participants with a diagnosis of hip and/or knee osteoarthritis. Anti-NGF antibody treatment was associated with a significant improvement in all Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) indices when compared to placebo. These agents were not associated with a significantly increased incidence of serious adverse events but were associated with significant increases in therapy discontinuation due to adverse events or side effects (e.g., peripheral neuropathy).
Future randomized clinical trials are needed to characterize the overall risk-to-benefit ratio of anti-NGF antibodies in managing pain associated with OA, particularly with long-term use, in order to verify their efficacy and safety in clinical practice.