The major trial of chondroitin sulphate included in the two reviews above was the GAIT study. GAIT was funded by National Institutes of Health to test the effects of chondroitin and glucosamine on osteoarthritis of the knee. This multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind, six month long trial found that glucosamine plus chondroitin had no statistically significant effect on symptoms of osteoarthritis in the overall group of osteoarthritis patients. However, in the moderate-to-severe pain subgroup, the combination of chondroitin and glucosamine was found to be more effective in treating pain than celecoxib or chondroitin and glucosamine taken individually. Due to small sample sizes in the sub-group, the researchers concluded that this needs further validation. The study also found chondroitin sulfate to have a significant effect in reducing joint swelling, effusion, or both. These results indicate that glucosamine and chondroitin do not effectively relieve osteoarthiritic pain in the overall group of osteoarthritis patients, though it may be an effective treatment for those suffering from moderate-to-severe pain. Some of the researcher’s ties to Pfizer have brought into question the validity of the study.
Clinical practice guidelines based on trials prior to publication of the negative review by Reichenbach and the negative GAIT trial recommended used of chondroitin. The OARSI (OsteoArthritis Research Society International) recommended chondroitin sulfate as the second-most-effective treatment for moderate cases of osteoarthritis. Likewise, the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) supported the usefulness of chondroitin sulfate in the management of knee osteoarthritis and grants the highest level of evidence, 1A, and strength of the recommendation, A, to this product.