Suzetrigine Compared with NSAIDs in Chronic Hip/Knee Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis

Aagna Patel, DO1, Maria Cecilia Guerrero, DO1, Sahil Shah, DO2, Roshan Santhosh, DO1

1 Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Larkin Community Hospital, South Miami, Florida

2 Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Larkin Community Hospital, Palm Springs, Florida

 

Introduction

● Hip and knee OA cause chronic pain, disability, and functional decline

● NSAIDs are standard but limited by GI, cardiovascular, and renal risks; safer alternatives are needed amid the opioid epidemic

● Suzetrigine, a selective NaV1.8 inhibitor, reduces peripheral pain signaling and is effective in acute pain models (abdominoplasty, bunionectomy)

● Objective: Evaluate real-world efficacy and safety of suzetrigine versus NSAIDs in chronic hip and knee OA, focusing on pain control, opioid use, and adverse outcomes

 

Methods

● Design & Data Source: Retrospective case-control study using the TriNetX database of de-identified EHRs

● Population & Matching: Included adults with hip or knee osteoarthritis without prior joint surgery; Suzetrigine users (n=1,664) were 1:1 propensity score–matched with NSAID controls (n=1,664) across 101 covariates (age, sex, race, comorbidities)

● Outcomes & Analysis: Evaluated falls, surgical conversion, joint injections, chronic pain, mood disorders, analgesic dependence, AKI, and cardiovascular events, reporting ARR, RR, and adjusted OR (95% CI) with two-sided testing (p<0.05)

 

In 3,328 propensity score–matched patients with non-surgical hip and knee osteoarthritis, suzetrigine showed broad clinical benefits

versus NSAID therapy:

● Surgical progression ↓ by 59% – RR 0.41 (95% CI 0.26–0.60)

● Joint injections ↓ by 49% – RR 0.51 (95% CI 0.40-0.63)

● Analgesic dependence ↓ by 19% – RR 0.81 (95% CI 0.60–0.79)

● Additional reductions: chronic pain, acute kidney injury, cardiovascular events, falls, mood disorders

 

Discussion

● Suzetrigine reduces surgical conversion, joint injections, analgesic dependence, chronic pain, AKI, cardiovascular events, falls, and mood disorders in non-surgical hip and knee OA

● Benefits appear driven by durable functional and systemic effects rather than short-term pain relief

● These findings support its potential to improve long-term OA management, reduce multimorbidity, and lower healthcare utilization, warranting prospective validation