A Pilot trial evaluating meta050, a proprietary combination of reduced iso-alpha acids, rosemary extract and oleanolic acid in patients with arthritis and fibromyalgia

• Published in: Phytotherapy research Vol. 19; no. 10; pp. 864 - 869
• Main Authors: Lukaczer, Daniel, Darland, Gary, Tripp, Matthew, Liska, De Ann, Lerman, Robert H., Schiltz, Barbara, Bland, Jeffrey S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01.10.2005; Wiley
• Subjects: Administration, Oral; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Antirheumatic Agents - administration & dosage; Antirheumatic Agents - therapeutic use; arthritis pain; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - drug therapy; Arthritis, Rheumatoid - pathology; Biological and medical sciences; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Fibromyalgia - drug therapy; Fibromyalgia - pathology; General pharmacology; Humans; Humulus; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Olea; oleanolic acid; Oleanolic Acid - administration & dosage; Oleanolic Acid - therapeutic use; osteoarthritis; Osteoarthritis - drug therapy; Osteoarthritis - pathology; Pain Measurement; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Pilot Projects; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; reduced iso-alpha acids; rheumatoid arthritis; Rosmarinus; Rosmarinus officinalis extract; Severity of Illness Index; Surveys and Questionnaires; Treatment Outcome; Human; Pharmacognosy; oleanolic acid; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; reduced iso-alpha acids; Autoimmune disease; Inflammatory joint disease; Arthritis; Extract; Medicinal plant; arthritis pain; Chronic; Rosmarinus officinalis extract; Pain; Labiatae; Dicotyledones; Rheumatoid arthritis; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Rosmarinus officinalis; Arthropathy; Degenerative disease; Spermatophyta; Osteoarthritis
• ISSN: 0951-418X; 1099-1573
• DOI: 10.1002/ptr.1709

The aim of this open‐label, 8‐week observational trial was to investigate the efficacy of Meta050 (a proprietary, standardized combination of reduced iso‐alpha‐acids from hops, rosemary extract and oleanolic acid) on pain in patients with rheumatic disease. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia patients were given 440 mg Meta050 three times a day for 4 weeks, which was changed to 880 mg twice a day for the subsequent 4 weeks in the majority of patients. Pain and condition‐specific symptoms were assessed using a standard visual analog scale (VAS), an abridged arthritis impact measurement scale (AIMS2) and the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire. Fifty‐four subjects with rheumatic disease completed the trial. Following treatment, a statistically significant decrease in pain of 50% and 40% was observed in arthritis subjects using the VAS (p < 0.0001; Wilcoxon‐ranked sums) and AIMS2 (p < 0.0001), respectively. Fibromyalgia subject scores did not significantly improve. A decreasing trend of C‐reactive protein, a marker for inflammation, was also observed in those subjects who presented with elevated C‐reactive protein. No serious side effects were observed. These observations suggest that Meta050 at a dosage of 440 mg three times a day has a beneficial effect on pain in arthritis subjects. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.