Good news! GSK was approved by FDA and converted from prescription drug to OTC.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) recently announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Voltaren Arthritis Pain (diclofenac sodium external gel, 1%[NSAID]- arthritis pain killer) as an over-the-counter (OTC) product for adults (above 18 years old), temporarily relieving arthritis pain in hands, wrist, elbow, foot, ankle and knee It is worth mentioning that with this approval, Voltaren Arthritis Pain has become the first and only prescription strength and non steroidal anti inflammatory (NSAID) topical gel that can be obtained from OTC for arthritis pain in the US market This approval is based on clinical data for hand and knee osteoarthritis (OA) that support the original prescription approval Data showed consistent and significant pain relief as early as week 1, as well as significant improvement in pain symptoms at multiple predetermined endpoints The right of Voltaren Gel in the US market is owned by GSK's GSKCH, which is currently available in the United States only through prescription Today, the OTC approval of Futalin arthritis pain will provide nearly 30 million Americans with osteoarthritis with an externally available treatment option without a prescription Frank riot, head of research and development at GSK consumer health, said: "for millions of people with arthritis around the world, joint pain and stiffness are daily realities At GSK, we are committed to improving the quality of life of these people, and today's approval is to move in this direction, providing more ways for American consumers to obtain effective, proven options for arthritis pain relief Voltaren is currently the world's number one brand of OTC external painkillers, and we look forward to expanding its supply in the United States " Dr Roy Altman, Professor of Rheumatology medicine at UCLA, said: "a number of international and American medical societies' osteoarthritis treatment guidelines, including the American rheumatology Society (ACR) in 2019, support the early use of local non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) in the treatment of knee and hand arthritis pain Unlike previous guidelines, these include all age groups, not just the elderly " In addition, the International Association for osteoarthritis research (OARSI) has recently updated and expanded its guidelines for non-surgical treatment of OA and developed patient-centered treatment recommendations These updated guidelines strongly recommend the use of topical NSAIDs in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) Among the non core interventions evaluated as part of this guideline update, topical non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are more recommended than all oral painkillers due to a good balance of long-term efficacy and mild transient side effects Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis When OA occurs, the cartilage between joints begins to break and wear, resulting in joint pain and stiffness With the increase of age, the frequency of OA is higher and higher, and with the passage of time, the pain will gradually increase The most common symptoms associated with OA include joint pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion Diclofenac sodium, the active ingredient of Voltaren arthritis pain, is an effective drug, which has been proved to be able to relieve the joint pain caused by arthritis Voltaren arthritis pain penetrates the skin at the application site, providing pain relief from arthritis Voltaren arthritis pain provides an alternative to oral painkillers for consumers with OA It directly acts on the pain site The amount of diclofenac sodium absorbed systematically from Voltaren arthritis pain is 6% of the average exposure of oral diclofenac sodium system GlaxoSmithKline expects that in the spring of 2020, there will be Voltaren arts pain products on the shelves in the United States (BIOON Com)