Doctors in Southampton are set to trial a new treatment for people suffering from knee arthritis.
The study, which is funded by Arthritis Research UK and involves 160 patients nationwide, will see eight participants recruited through the NIHR Wellcome Trust Southampton Clinical Research Facility at Southampton General Hospital.
It will establish if a drug called methotrexate, which is more commonly taken by people with rheumatoid arthritis, can also be effective in treating osteoarthritis - an unrelated condition.
"Current treatments for knee osteoarthritis are limited in that they only work for short periods and are not suitable for many people," explained Dr Chris Edwards, a consultant rheumatologist at Southampton General Hospital.
