Is Phytalgic(R) a goldmine for osteoarthritis patients or is there something fishy about this nutraceutical? A summary of findings and risk-of-bias assessment.

A food supplement containing fish oils, urtica dioica, zinc, and vitamin E (Phytalgic) for osteoarthritis (OA) has now been tested in a placebo-controlled trial for 3 months and according to the authors has a very large clinical effect, considerably larger than that of any other known product. Even experts endorsing nutraceuticals for OA symptoms would probably agree that a nutraceutical with an effect size above 0.5 is rarely seen. Despite our concerns about the fact that trial registration took place after the study was completed and the likelihood that patients would note the taste of fish, a circumstance that would lead to detection bias, we consider these data promising though with a high risk of bias.