An FDA-approved drug could be repurposed to relieve osteoarthritis pain and protect cartilage, the article reports.

Headlines cited in the article name the drug as lacosamide, studied by Yale researchers.

In preclinical tests, the drug significantly reduced joint discomfort, the article says.

It also showed measurable protection of the vulnerable cartilage matrix.

Because it is already approved, it has a safety profile from prior human use.

Separately, Keck Medicine of USC launched a first-in-human trial of a cartilage-protecting knee injection.

Current treatments often ease pain but do not reverse structural joint damage.

Experts stress that human trials must confirm the lab results before wide use.

Read the full article for more details on the osteoarthritis drug research.