Author(s)

Emy Brunello¹, Antonio Masini^2*

¹Health Department, “REGENESIS”Medical Center, Bovolone, Italy.
²Complementary Medicine R & D, Phytonaturesas, Bovolone, Italy.

A single-center, open-label clinical study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NEM^® as a natural treatment for pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis of the knee in an Italian population. NEM^® brand eggshell membrane is a unique dietary supplement that contains naturally occurring glycosaminoglycans and proteins essential for maintaining healthy joints and connective tissues. Twenty-five subjects received oral NEM^®, 500 mg once daily for four weeks. The primary outcome measure was to evaluate the mean effectiveness of NEM^® in relieving general pain associated with moderate osteoarthritis of the knee at 10 and 30 days utilizing a 10-question, abbreviated questionnaire based on the WOMAC osteoarthritis questionnaire. Supplementation with NEM^® produced a significant treatment response from baseline at both 10 days and 30 days for composite pain (40.6% reduction, p < 0.001; 66.4% reduction, p < 0.001, respectively). There was also a statistically significant concurrent reduction in analgesic use during the 30-day study period. Additionally, a significant treatment response from baseline was also observed for composite stiffness at both 10 days and 30 days (22.2% reduction, p = 0.009; 59.7% reduction, p < 0.001, respectively). There were no adverse events or serious adverse events reported during the study and the treatment was reported to be well tolerated by study participants. NEM^® is an effective and safe natural therapeutic option for the treatment of both pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Supplementation with NEM^®, 500 mg taken once daily, significantly reduced both pain and stiffness rapidly (10 days) and this effect continued to improve through 30 days. There was also a meaningful reduction in the amount of analgesic consumed on a weekly basis, which further enhanced patients’ safety.

Knee, Osteoarthritis, Supplement, Egg Shell Membrane, Glycosaminoglycans

Brunello, E. and Masini, A. (2016) NEM^® Brand Eggshell Membrane Effective in the Treatment of Pain and Stiffness Associated with Osteoarthritis of the Knee in an Italian Study Population. International Journal of Clinical Medicine, 7, 169-175. doi: 10.4236/ijcm.2016.72017.