Areas of research interest include studying functional ingredients that help with joint pain and stiffness as well as exercise-related joint degradation.

Contract research organization Vedic Lifesciences (Mumbai, India) is reporting an uptick in studies on functional ingredients that support joint health.

Studies are gearing up with a focus on the health and wellness industry. Areas of research interest include studying functional ingredients that help with joint pain and stiffness as well as exercise-related joint degradation.

“Today, while most joint products rely on data from condition-specific studies, we have seen keen interest in healthy-volunteer clinical trials,” added Shalini Srivastava, Vedic’s director of clinical development, in a press release. “Our studies are a unique blend of sports-related outcome measures like treadmill exercise protocols and joint function­–related measures like Range of Motion and WOMAC scores.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has not slowed interest in joint-health studies, the company reports; quite the opposite, the company’s CEO, Jayesh Chaudhary said in a press release. “Joint-health studies always contributed about 15% to our overall business; however, this year is something different.” The company adds that recruiting for studies continued throughout the pandemic. “In fact,” it said, “for some studies, [we] validated the effect of the various factors affecting joint pain and quality of life by statistically analyzing the data received from volunteers recruited before and after the first lockdown.”

In the first quarter of 2021, the company says it completed two large osteoarthritis studies (with 90 and 200 volunteers), conducted for dietary supplement companies based in Australia and China, including one on glucosamine and chondroitin. The company is also currently recruiting subjects for what it says is its longest-ever osteoarthritis study, a 366-day study. Two additional joint-health studies are scheduled to start in the second half of 2021.

Data from the preclinical and clinical studies have been used as the foundation for health-claim regulatory submissions, including to Health Canada, and New Dietary Ingredient notifications in the U.S.

Said the company: “As the population ages, more and more people will require joint-health supplements. Clinical trials must be done to compete with NSAIDs and analgesics offering fast onset of action and sustained relief from pain. Supplement manufacturers are naturally more welcoming of functional ingredients backed by robust proprietary science.”