Summary
Prednisone 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 2 registered trials linking Prednisone to Osteoarthritis: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT06603662). It plans or enrolled 192 participants. Registration activity spans 2025 to 2026. The literature layer holds 5 publications for this pair: 1 Cochrane review and 4 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2003 to 2022. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
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 | 42.0 (trials 9.0, literature 13.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 2 total: 1 recruiting, 1 active / not yet recruiting, 0 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 5 (4 clinical trial publications, 1 Cochrane review) |
| 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trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5).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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT07630896 | Post-op Prednisone and Glucose Monitoring in TKA 2026 | not yet recruiting | Phase 4 | 104 |
| NCT06603662 | Systemic Oral Glucocorticoids for the Treatment of Acute Osteoarthritis Pain in the Emergency Department 2025 | recruiting | Phase 4 | 192 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication Real-time vs static scoring in musculoskeletal ultrasonography in patients with inflammatory hand osteoarthritisvan de Stadt LA, Kroon FPB, Rosendaal FR et al. · Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2022 · PMID 34264344
- Clinical trial publication Earlier is better when treating rheumatoid arthritis: but can we detect a window of opportunity?Bergstra SA, Van Der Pol JA, Riyazi N et al. · RMD open · 2020 · PMID 32471854
- Clinical trial publication The effect of low-dose aspirin on the decreased risk of development of dyspepsia and gastrointestinal ulcers associated to cyclooxygenase-2 selective inhibitorsBenito-Garcia E, Michaud K, Wolfe F · The Journal of rheumatology · 2007 · PMID 17611980
- Cochrane review Corticosteroid injections for osteoarthritis of the knee: meta-analysisArroll B, Goodyear-Smith F · BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2004 · PMID 15039276
- Clinical trial publication Osteocyte viability with glucocorticoid treatment: relation to histomorphometrySambrook PN, Hughes DR, Nelson AE et al. · Annals of the rheumatic diseases · 2003 · PMID 14644862
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 Prednisone approved for Osteoarthritis?
Prednisone 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 Prednisone in clinical trials for Osteoarthritis?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered trials linking Prednisone to Osteoarthritis: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 is active or not yet recruiting. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT06603662). It plans or enrolled 192 participants. Registration activity spans 2025 to 2026.
What does the evidence show for Prednisone in Osteoarthritis?
Trials of Prednisone 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.