Lorecivivint dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Lorecivivint is a knee shot for arthritis that aims to slow cartilage loss. Both of its large published pain studies failed. The company filed with the FDA in January 2026, based on long-term joint space data instead.
Evidence grade for Lorecivivint: Strong. The rule: at least two finished studies in people, and at least 1,000 people who took it. The sum on this page: 2 completed trials, 1,011 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 1,011
- Human studies
- 2
- Found nothing
- 1
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
2 completed trials, 1,011 people given it
2 effects reported, 1 unwanted, 1 wanted, by people using it, not a trial
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Lorecivivint is a shot into the knee for arthritis. It is meant to slow cartilage loss, not just ease pain. The company has asked the FDA to approve it. It is not approved.
What people take it for
- Less knee pain.
- Slowing the wear of knee cartilage.
What studies in people showed
Two large studies tested it for pain. In one, 513 people got one shot or a dummy shot. After 12 weeks, pain had fallen slightly more in the dummy group. The second study, with 498 people, also found no pain benefit. The researchers later found a hint of benefit in people with milder joint damage. That is an idea to test, not a result. The company's filing rests on X-rays showing joint space kept over several years.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- X-rays in the company's long-term data showed the knee joint space was kept over several years.
The bad
- In both large studies on this page, it did no better than a dummy shot for pain.
Where these come from: Both lines are from the studies and the company filing on this page. We have not collected forum or user reports for this drug yet.
My bottom line
A picture of your knee is not how your knee feels. For a sore knee, I would start with a doctor and a strength coach, not a shot that failed on pain.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Nothing indexed yet
The 3 citations on this page do not report a result for any of the 36 goals indexed here. Most of what sits here is something else: a listing of a planned study, a study of how the body handles the drug, a safety report or a government record. None of those tests whether it works.
Show full evidence
What is Lorecivivint?
Lorecivivint is a knee shot for arthritis that aims to slow cartilage loss. Both of its large published pain studies failed. The company filed with the FDA in January 2026, based on long-term joint space data instead.
Lorecivivint is given as a shot into the knee. It blocks two enzymes, CLK and DYRK1A, to tune the Wnt signal in the joint. The aim is to slow cartilage loss, not just ease pain. In two large final-stage studies, OA-10 with 498 people and OA-11 with 513 people, it did no better than a dummy shot on pain at week 12. After the fact, the researchers found a hint of benefit in people with less joint damage, grade 2 on the Kellgren-Lawrence scale. That is an idea to test, not a result. Biosplice's long-term OA-07 data showed the space inside the joint was kept over several years. The company filed for approval on January 6, 2026. If approved, it would be the first arthritis drug that changes the structure of the joint. But the published evidence for pain relief is negative.
How does Lorecivivint work?
It is a shot into the joint that blocks the CLK and DYRK1A enzymes. That tunes the Wnt signal, which lowers inflammation and supports cartilage cells.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
1,011people, across 2 studies in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2025 | 513 | 51% |
| Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology 2025 | 498 | 49% |
One study holds 51% of these people, so the total rests more on one study than its size suggests. Counts are the number of people each study on this page says it signed up. That includes studies that only watched people and gave nobody the compound. 1 more study in people gives no headcount and is not counted here. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
All 3 sources here are studies in people.
- Study in people · done in people3100%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
Sources here come from just two years, 2025 and 2026.
Too few different years on this page to draw a timeline.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Small molecule
- Molecule weight
- 505.5 Da
- Half-life
- Stated in words, not a numbersee the exact wording below
- Chain length
- None on file
Half-life as stated on file: One to two intra-articular injections per year
No amino acid sequence is on file for Lorecivivint, which is expected: a small molecule is not built from amino acids.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2026Biosplice submits NDA for lorecivivint in knee osteoarthritis
The company filed for approval on a measure that is not pain. Biosplice's application leans on X-ray evidence that the space inside the knee joint was preserved over several years, rather than on the pain results from its two large trials, which both failed. Preserved joint space is a picture of a joint, not a report of how a knee feels. If approved, it would be the first drug claimed to change the structure of an arthritic joint.
Filing based on joint-space-width preservation.
- Study in people2025A Phase 3, 56-week, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (OA-11) utilising patient-reported and radiographic outcomes evaluating the efficacy and safety of a lorecivivint injection in patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis
It was tested properly and it did not work. 513 people with moderate to severe knee arthritis got a single shot of lorecivivint or a dummy shot. Twelve weeks later, pain had fallen slightly more in the dummy group. No other measure favoured the drug either. Over a year neither group lost much joint space, so the study could not show the drug protected anything. A study this size would have found a real benefit.
513 patients. A single injection missed the primary endpoint: pain NRS change at week 12 was -2.24 on lorecivivint against -2.49 on placebo (p=0.185), with no treatment effect on the other endpoints. Neither group lost meaningful medial joint space width over 52 weeks.
- Study in people2025A Phase 3, 28-week, multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (OA-10) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a single injection of lorecivivint in the target knee joint of moderately to severely symptomatic osteoarthritis patients
The second large trial failed the same way as the first. 498 people with painful knee arthritis got lorecivivint or a dummy injection, and the drug again did no better on pain. Afterwards the authors went looking and found a hint of benefit in people with less joint damage. Here is the problem. A subgroup found after the fact is a guess for the next trial, not a finding. The authors say as much themselves.
498 patients; lorecivivint again failed the primary pain endpoint against placebo. A post-hoc analysis found a signal in the less structurally severe Kellgren-Lawrence grade 2 subgroup, which the authors present as a hypothesis for earlier intervention, not a result.
Common questions
Has Lorecivivint been tested in people?
Yes. 1,011 people given it across 2 completed trials cited here, 1 of which found nothing. Lorecivivint is a knee shot for arthritis that aims to slow cartilage loss. Both of its large published pain studies failed. The company filed with the FDA in January 2026, based on long-term joint space data instead.
What is the Lorecivivint dosage?
No human dose established. Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose. 2 completed trials, 1,011 people given it
Is Lorecivivint FDA-approved?
The maker's application for approval is under FDA review (sent in January 2026)
How is this different from BPC-157 for joints?
Lorecivivint has finished large, regulated final-stage studies that used joint imaging, and it is under FDA review. BPC-157 has five recorded uses in people, none of them a finished proper study of a joint or tendon injury. Its first mid-stage study with a comparison group, in a muscle or bone condition, began signing people up in February 2026.
Latest reading on Lorecivivint
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