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Yale researchers have found that lacosamide, an FDA-approved epilepsy drug, may do double duty in osteoarthritis — easing pain and reversing cartilage damage. The key is delivering it via a temperature-sensitive hydrogel that keeps the drug concentrated in the joint for weeks. No existing FDA-approved drug currently does both, making this a potentially game-changing approach.
Yale researchers may have cracked a two-for-one solution for osteoarthritis
For the millions living with osteoarthritis, current treatments only go so far — they can dull the pain, but nothing approved by the FDA can also stop the underlying joint destruction. A new Yale study published in Bioactive Materials suggests that lacosamide, an already-approved epilepsy drug, could change that by targeting Nav1.7, a protein that drives both pain signaling and cartilage breakdown.
The trick is in the delivery. Injecting lacosamide directly into the joint via a specialized Collagen II hydrogel — which stays liquid in a syringe but firms up at body temperature — keeps the drug concentrated in the joint for a month or more. In preclinical studies, one injection every four weeks outperformed daily oral doses in preventing cartilage loss.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: Because lacosamide is already FDA-approved and has been tested in humans, the path to clinical trials in osteoarthritis patients could be significantly shorter than for a brand-new drug — bringing true disease modification, not just symptom relief, closer to reality.
