I think someone else posted this but this is really good news.  This
is a huge study (1285 patients) funded by NIH the results are good.
Incidentally the Annual ACR conference is being held in San Diego
Saturday -Thursday.  If you can't reach your RD he/she is likely in
San Diego for the conference.  Expect many announcements on trials and
new drugs this next week.

From Yahoo news:

Initial Results of National Institutes of Health (NIH) Funded Study
Reveal Glucosamine and Chondroitin Effective in Treating Moderate to
Severe Osteoarthritis Knee Pain
Thursday November 10, 7:00 am ET  
Findings Bring New Hope for Millions of Americans Suffering from
Arthritis

CARSON, Calif., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- For 21 million Americans
hobbled by osteoarthritis, new science confirms nutritional
supplements glucosamine and chondroitin are the right combination for
effective knee pain relief(1). The Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis
Intervention Trial (GAIT), funded by NIH, rigorously evaluated the
efficacy and safety of glucosamine and chondroitin in 1,258 people,
concluding in its abstract that the "combination of glucosamine and
chondroitin sulfate is effective in treating moderate to severe knee
pain due to osteoarthritis."

GAIT lead researcher Daniel O. Clegg, M.D., Professor of Medicine and
Chief of Rheumatology at the University of Utah, will present findings
from the full study on November 14, 2005 at the American College of
Rheumatology's Scientific Meeting in San Diego, California.

"GAIT brings good news to adults suffering from the wear and tear of
cartilage degeneration, particularly those who cannot tolerate the
side effects of taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs),"
said C. Thomas Vangsness, Jr., MD, Professor Orthopaedic Surgery, Keck
School of Medicine, University of Southern California. "For years
glucosamine and chondroitin have been well recognized alternative
solutions to pharmaceutical options in treating osteoarthritis
patients in Europe, Asia and Russia. In fact, preliminary results
reported in the GAIT abstract indicated glucosamine and chondroitin
were found to be more effective than Celebrex® in treating moderate to
severe knee pain. Clearly, the GAIT abstract suggests glucosamine and
chondroitin together may be a good non-surgical pain relief choice for
arthritis patients," added Dr. Vangsness.

Funded by NIH, the $14 million GAIT study is the largest placebo
controlled, double blind, clinical trial ever conducted to test the
effectiveness of glucosamine and chondroitin. All 1,258 patients who
completed the study were over the age of 40 with knee pain and
randomly assigned placebo; glucosamine 1500 mg; chondroitin 1200mg;
glucosamine/chondroitin at above mentioned doses; or celecoxib
(Celebrex) 200 mg daily for 6 months. The abstract published each
treatment group's response rate to pain. Of note, the group taking the
glucosamine/chondroitin combination experienced greater relief for the
treatment of moderate to severe knee pain than the Celebrex group.

GAIT was designed to test the safety and efficacy of glucosamine and
chondroitin alone and in combination in reducing knee pain associated
with osteoarthritis. The study's abstract concluded that when taken
together, "glucosamine and chondroitin is effective in treating
moderate to severe knee pain due to OA [osteoarthritis]."

Naturally occurring in the body, glucosamine stimulates the production
of cartilage, the connective tissue which cushions joints. Chondroitin
is also naturally occurring in the body and like glucosamine
stimulates the production of cartilage. Previous research indicates
glucosamine is just as effective as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs) in reducing osteoarthritis pain and has fewer
gastrointestinal side effects than NSAIDs.

Store brand nutritional supplements offer consumers the highest
quality product at the best value. On average, double strength
glucosamine(500mg)/chondroitin(400mg) sells for 35% less than brand
name double strength glucosamine/chondroitin products and triple
strength glucosamine (750mg)/chondroitin (600mg) sells for about 15%
less than higher priced brands. Consumers can find store brand
glucosamine and chondroitin products at the nation's leading
retailers.

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans (nearly 70 million) live with some form of
arthritis, costing the United States $82.5 billion a year in
healthcare costs related to treating the illness.(2) For arthritis
knee pain sufferers who find relief in taking glucosamine and
chondroitin, they will also find the supplements to be great values.
Widely used in Europe for years to treat osteoarthritis, glucosamine
and chondroitin are safe and effective nutritional supplements, as
proven by the GAIT abstract.

Visit my website:
http://www.mzuschlag.com