No Injectable Annual Medication for Arthritis Currently Exists
There is no FDA-approved injectable medication that can be administered once yearly for any form of arthritis. Current injectable treatments for arthritis require much more frequent administration, ranging from weekly to every few months at most.
Current Injectable Treatment Options and Their Frequencies
For Inflammatory Arthritis (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis)
- Biologic DMARDs are the primary injectable medications for inflammatory arthritis, but none are administered annually 1
- TNF inhibitors like adalimumab and etanercept require injections every 1-2 weeks 1
- These biologics are added when methotrexate alone fails to control disease activity 1
- Methotrexate itself, when given subcutaneously, requires weekly injections 2
For Osteoarthritis
- Intra-articular glucocorticoid injections are strongly recommended for knee and hip OA, but provide only short-term relief lasting less than 4 weeks 2, 3
- These injections can be repeated, but there are concerns about potential cartilage damage with frequent repeated injections 2
- Hyaluronic acid injections require a course of 2-4 injections per year for knee OA, not a single annual injection 3
- The American College of Rheumatology does not recommend hyaluronic acid for routine use in knee OA due to limited evidence compared to glucocorticoid injections 2
Why Annual Injections Don't Exist
- The pharmacokinetics of current injectable arthritis medications do not support once-yearly dosing 4
- Corticosteroid injections work through anti-inflammatory mechanisms that last only 3 weeks maximum 4
- Hyaluronic acid's modest efficacy peaks between 5-13 weeks after treatment 4
- Biologic DMARDs have half-lives requiring weekly to biweekly administration to maintain therapeutic levels 1
Important Clinical Caveat
Avoid the pitfall of assuming longer intervals between injections are better. For inflammatory arthritis, the treatment strategy requires frequent monitoring every 3 months with rapid escalation if disease activity persists 1. For osteoarthritis, repeated frequent glucocorticoid injections into the same joint may contribute to cartilage loss, so escalation to systemic therapy should be considered rather than attempting to extend injection intervals 2.