Summary
Nicotine Polacrilex has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Osteoarthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Osteoarthritis. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Nicotine Polacrilex to Osteoarthritis: 1 is active or not yet recruiting. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 354 participants. Registered activity dates to 2025. No published literature item is linked to Nicotine Polacrilex and Osteoarthritis in the OSMF database yet, so the record rests on registry entries alone. Registry entries describe intent to study, not outcomes.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Osteoarthritis ranks 302 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Structural progression is essentially universal over 10+ years without intervention; pain fluctuates but functional decline is the expected trajectory; no disease-modifying therapy exists as of 2024.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 22.0 (trials 2.0, literature 0.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 1 total: 0 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 0 |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | APOE |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07173335 | Integrated Healthy Lifestyle and Pain Care for People With Musculoskeletal Conditions Living in Rural Areas. 2025 | not yet recruiting | Not applicable | 354 |
Published literature
No publication is linked to this pair yet.
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target APOE. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Nicotine Polacrilex approved for Osteoarthritis?
Nicotine Polacrilex has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Osteoarthritis would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Osteoarthritis. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Nicotine Polacrilex in clinical trials for Osteoarthritis?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 1 registered trial linking Nicotine Polacrilex to Osteoarthritis: 1 is active or not yet recruiting. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 354 participants. Registered activity dates to 2025.
What does the evidence show for Nicotine Polacrilex in Osteoarthritis?
Trials of Nicotine Polacrilex in Osteoarthritis are registered but none has completed, so there is no outcome evidence from those studies yet; the record is a signal of research interest. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target APOE. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.