Swiss Medica's O24 improves fibromyalgia symptoms, study says

By Angela McDaniels

Seattle, Feb. 2 - Swiss Medica Inc. said that 88% of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome reported a mild to markedly better improvement in symptoms after using the company's O24 topical product during a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Over half (53%) reported moderately better to markedly better improvement.

Of patients receiving placebo, 7% reported mild improvement, 79% reported no change in their condition and 14% reported a worsening of their condition.

"With the demise of traditional medications, such as the Cox-2 inhibitors, the use of therapies that have such clinical effectiveness, and minimal to insignificant side effects, is exciting news," lead investigator Gordon Ko of the Canadian Centre for Integrative Medicine in Ontario said in a company news release.

The clinical trials treated 133 patients for four to six weeks. Of these, 68 (51%) were given a placebo and 65 (49%) received the O24 product.

Improvement was statistically significant for Visual Analog Scale for pain, Visual Analog Scale for night pain, Jamar hand-grip strength, total number of fibromyalgia tender points and the average tender point pain threshold as measured by algometry, the company said.

The results were analyzed by the Institute of Clinical Evaluative Studies in Toronto, and the study data was published in the January/February 2006 issue of Practical Pain Management Journal.

O24 is the first patented, clinically tested product for fibromyalgia to be available in national pharmacies in the United States and Canada, the company said.

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread muscle pain, fatigue and multiple tender points. There are no prescription medications currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of this disease, which is estimated to affect more than 10 million Americans.

Toronto-based Swiss Medica commercializes proprietary bioscience products that relieve chronic ailments.

© 2015 Prospect News.
All content on this website is protected by copyright law in the U.S. and elsewhere. For the use of the person downloading only.
Redistribution and copying are prohibited by law without written permission in advance from Prospect News.
Redistribution or copying includes e-mailing, printing multiple copies or any other form of reproduction.