Effects of Tanezumab on Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Systematic Review and MetaAnalysis

Background: Tanezumab is known as a new medical treatment for patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. We performed this meta-analysis to investigate the efficacy and safety of Tanezumab for treatment of patients with knee OA. Methods: We systematically searched randomized controlled trials from MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, EBSCO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). The selected primary outcomes for this study were mean change in the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) pain, the WOMAC physical function and patient's global assessment (PGA). Outcomes were reported using the standard mean difference (SMD) or odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI). We evaluated the pooled data using a random and fixed effects models. Results: Of the studies that were found during systematic search, five studies were eligible and were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with the placebo groups, tanezumab showed a significant more reduction in mean of the WOMAC pain (SMD = -0.92, 95% CI -1.47 to -0.37, P=0.001), the WOMAC physical function (SMD = -0.59, 95% CI -0.79 to -0.39, P<0.01), and PGA (SMD = -0.36, 95% CI -0.45 to -0.27, P<0.01). There was no significant difference in serious adverse events (OR = 1.38, 95% CI 0.59 to 3.21, P = 0.48) between the tanezumab and placebo groups. Placebo significantly decreased discontinuations due to adverse events (OR = 0.37, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.64, P = 0.001), abnormal peripheral sensations (OR = 0.32, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.50, P<0.01), and peripheral neuropathy (OR = 0.25, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.48, P