The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  Here,
in part, is what the NY Times had to say:

Two widely used nutritional supplements for arthritis pain do not
effectively soothe patients' aching arthritic knees, a large federal
study has found.

The study of the two drugs, glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, was
published today in The New England Journal of Medicine. The study was
meant to provide a definitive answer to a question that has baffled
doctors and patients alike: do these supplements work?

Americans spent an estimated $734 million on glucosamine and
chondroitin in 2004, according to The Nutrition Business Journal,
making them among the most widely used dietary supplements in the
nation. The two, which are produced by numerous companies, are often
sold in combination as a treatment for arthritis.

In the 24-week study, 1,583 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee
were randomly assigned to one of five groups. Some patients took
glucosamine, some took chondroitin and some took both. Others, serving
as comparison subjects, took a placebo or celecoxib, sold as Celebrex,
a prescription drug that is approved for osteoarthritis.

No effect was found for glucosamine, chondroitin or a combination of
the two. But the study found that the patients who took celecoxib had a
statistically significant improvement in their symptoms."  end quote

You can read about it here:
<http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/23/health/23arthritis.html?hp&ex=1140670800&en=5b
999c1cff93f0dc&ei=5094&partner=homepage>

My Dr said they presented this at the ACR last Fall and said it had no
benefit.   Oh well it does seem to help some people so you might try it
and discontinue if it doesn't help.   This is a huge study so results
are hard to ignore. -- MZ