Could a common diabetes drug ease knee arthritis pain?

NCT ID NCT06231758

Symptom relief Sponsor: Mostafa Bahaa Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This phase 3 trial is testing whether adding metformin, a diabetes drug, to standard pain relief (celecoxib) can reduce pain and improve knee function in people with knee osteoarthritis. The study will enroll 70 adults aged 30-60 with moderate knee arthritis. Researchers will measure pain changes using a standard pain scale and the WOMAC osteoarthritis index.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance: Metformin (a diabetes drug) combined with Celecoxib (an anti-inflammatory painkiller)
What this could lead to: If it works, this could offer a new, affordable way to better manage knee osteoarthritis pain and slow joint damage.
What could go wrong: This is a small, early-phase trial with only 70 participants. Metformin is not proven for arthritis yet, and results may not apply to everyone.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 3

Large-scale testing in a bigger group. Usually the last step before a treatment can be approved.

Participants

About 70 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Jan 2024

Expected to finish

Nov 2027

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

30 to 60 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * Primary osteoarthritis Patients recruited were between 30 to 60 years of age. * X-ray confirmed Kellgren-Lawrence grade II or III severity primary tibiofemoral OA according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria. Exclusion Criteria: Patients with age less than 30 years or more than 60 years Patients Presented with active concomitant gastroduodenal disorders, hepatic and renal impairment within last 30 days prior to receiving the study drug Patients Were diagnosed to have any inflammatory arthritis, gout or acute trauma of the knee, hip or spine; accompanying OA of the hip of sufficient severity to interfere with the functional assessment of the knee Patients had previous or ongoing treatment with oral SYSDOA (e.g., glucosamine sulphate, chondroitin sulphate, diacerein, piascledine), anti-depressants, tranquillisers, antacids or antibiotics; were having active cardiac lesion or hypertension, were pregnant females and those who were planning their pregnancy during the study Patients having a known hypersensitivity to the used medications Patients have persistent diarrhoea or laxative use; severe gastrointestinal disorders, severe obesity, severe parenchymal organ disease, or anaemia (haemoglobin\< 10.0 g/ dl or haematocrit \< 30%). Patients who received oral, intramuscular, intraarticular or soft tissue injections of corticosteroids within last eight weeks before receiving the first dose of the study medication or had undergone joint lavage and arthroscopic procedures in the previous 6 months, were also excluded.

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

osteoarthritis, knee

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Osteo arthritis knee

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

The places running it

1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
The official record

ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

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A doctor treating you

A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Could a common diabetes drug ease knee arthritis pain?

What the study statuses mean