Topical Diclofenac Helpful for Knee Osteoarthritis

Oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to relieve the symptoms of OA but can produce harmful systemic effects and end-organ damage," write Sanford H. Roth, MD, and J. Zev Shainhouse, MD, from Dimethaid Health Care Ltd in Markham, Ontario, Canada. "A topical NSAID formulation may provide symptom relief with fewer adverse effects. A new topical diclofenac sodium solution — containing the absorption enhancer dimethyl sulfoxide — was evaluated for the relief of the symptoms of primary OA of the knee.