Armed with medical research that appears to back what naturopaths have been saying for years, Wampole Canada will soon launch its own version of glucosamine hydrochloride, a natural substance said to alleviate the pain of osteoarthritis.

Arthroid, a Wampole-branded product with glucosamine hcl as the active ingredient, will be positioned as a pain reliever and placed in the analgesic sections of drug stores, according to Aubrey Dan, Wampole president.

The Toronto-based marketer of over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, vitamins, supplements and herbal remedies has, for several years, been seeking support and acceptance of natural remedies by the scientific and medical communities, and has initiated a number of educational programs about herbal products for pharmacists and physicians.

With the launch of Arthroid, Wampole is continuing this strategy. In an effort to obtain the endorsement of the medical community, the company will concentrate its marketing efforts on physicians using direct mail and public relations from LBJ-FRB Communications of Toronto.

The results of the study, according to Wampole the first and only examination of glucosamine HCL in North America, were presented last month at the 12th Pan-American Conference of Rheumatology.

Led by Dr. Joseph Houpt, chief of Rheumatology at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital, the 10-week Wampole-sponsored study compared 45 arthritis patients receiving 500 milligrams of glucosamine HCL three times a day to 53 patients who received a placebo.

Houpt’s conclusion was that patients taking glucosamine HCL had fewer painful days overall than those taking the placebo.

There are a number of untested glucosamine HCL and glucosamine sulfate products available in Canadian drug and health food stores. Dan says hcl is a purer form of the ingredient adding glucosamine sulphate is often not recommended for older patients who make up the largest group of arthritis sufferers because it contains salt.