Arthritis pain study attracts £26 million

A major new £26 million study of medicines to treat the pain of arthritis is being led by scientists within the School of Medicine.

The SCOT Trial (Standard Care versus Celecoxib Outcome Trial), will compare different types of treatment for arthritis - a series of conditions which affect around nine million people in the UK.

Professor Tom MacDonald, Head of the Medicines Monitoring Unit in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, is the lead investigator in the study which also involves the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen and includes collaboration with scientists at Nottingham University and the University of Southern Denmark.

"This trial is of international significance because it will compare the various non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug treatments prescribed for arthritis sufferers in usual care," he explained. "There has been a long running debate as to the most effective pain relief with fewest side effects. This study will help us draw some solid conclusions to benefit arthritis sufferers."

The trial compares traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and diclofenac, with a newer NSAID called Celecoxib. Both types of drugs are prescribed for the treatment of arthritis, but doctors want to know how the newer Celecoxib compares with the older NSAID in patients with arthritis in terms of long-term safety.

Scotland is spearheading the three-year trial because of the country's sophisticated patient electronic registration and tracking systems.

Funded by Pfizer, the trial means a £26m cash injection for research which will be based in hundreds of GP practices across Scotland

"It is important that this study is done in the "real world" of Scottish general practice and not just with the highly selected patients attending a specialist research centre.," said Dundee GP Alex Watson.

Arthritis is common and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland estimates that between 152,000 and 217,000 people in Scotland have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.

According to ISD Scotland, the national organisation for health information, statistics and IT services, a total of 2.55 million prescriptions were issued in Scotland for the treatment of various forms of arthritis during 2005/6.