Have we found a true disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) or is there still much work to be done?
Roy Fleischmann · Lara D. Veeken · 2025
This editorial refers to ‘Impact of structural severity on outcomes in knee osteoarthritis: an analysis of data from phase 2 and phase 3 lorecivivint clinical trials’ by Jeyanesh Tambiah et al. 2025;64:2583–90. In this issue of Rheumatology (Oxford), Tambiah et al. report the results of a post-hoc evaluation of the safety and efficacy of lorecivivint in knee OA. Lorecivivint, a CLK/DYRK inhibitor, has been shown to influence the Wnt pathway, thereby potentially enhancing chondrogenesis and chondrocyte function with inhibition of inflammation, utilizing an in vitro system [1, 2]. Because of its mechanism of action (MOA), the authors have suggested that lorecivivint is a potential disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD). But is it truly a DMOAD in the strictest sense? Osteoarthritis is the most common disease affecting the joints worldwide affecting 595 000 000 individuals [3]. There are no approved DMOADs despite extensive investigation of multiple agents over the years. The current treatment paradigm treats OA symptoms, but not the progressive disease process itself.