Bioberica Farma, Spanish biotech company specializing in osteoarthritis, launches DUARTRON, the only glucosamine capsules available in the market
Bioberica Farma has launched DUARTRON, the only glucosamine on the market sold in hard gelatine capsules, a dosage form preferred by patients because of its ease of use. Furthermore, Duartron® is funded by the Spanish National Health System. Osteoarthritis is a disease affecting a large percentage of the population. In Spain, for instance, is the third most common chronic disease. Within the framework of existing pharmacological treatments, we have slow acting treatments, the so-called chondroprotector drugs: chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine, that operate at the symptomatic level and can change the course of the disease.
Barcelona, March 28, 2014. Bioberica Farma launched DUARTRON, the only glucosamine sold in hard gelatine capsules, one of the dosage forms preferred by patients because of its ease of use.
Osteoarthritis affects a large percentage of the population and is a very common cause of consultations, both to primary care practitioners and to rheumatology and trauma specialists. Its high prevalence (11%) places this disease in the #3 rank among the most common chronic diseases suffered by the Spanish population, with the corresponding healthcare costs involved.
One of the treatments for osteoarthritis include chondroprotector drugs, which present many advantages in comparison to other treatments due to their high safety and efficacy profiles. They operate on the joint cartilage, synovial membrane and subchondral bone, improving the patient’ symptoms and contributing to the slowdown of the progression of the disease.
It has been proved that the activity of glucosamine effects the production of proteoglycans in the joint cartilage and provides efficient inhibition of certain enzymes that destroy the cartilage and that of other tissue-damaging substances, such as the macrophages’ superoxide radicals. This produces an anti-inflammatory and a stabilizing activity of the synovial membrane which improves the arthrosis processes, particularly in terms of the disease’s symptoms.
The effect of glucosamine is somewhat slow - it can take between two to three weeks to begin having an effect. However, it reaches the same peak of efficacy as the non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and its efficacy remains up to two week after ceasing the treatment. Furthermore, it is better tolerated by the stomach than the NSAIDs.
Duartron® is funded by the Spanish National Health System.
