Letter to the Editor for “Management of Osteoarthritis with Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables”

To the Editor, It is with importance that I make you aware of inaccurate facts about our Nutramax Laboratories Family of Companies' products as well as general errors as discussed in the article by Christiansen et al. Management of Osteoarthritis with Avocado/Soybean Unsaponifiables. I was quite surprised to uncover several wrong statements that could have been easily and properly fact checked with a mere online review. This article came across more as a competitor's marketing piece with crafted messages and misused references instead of a well-constructed scientific article. On page 37, paragraph 2, it is stated " Avoca ASU, a combination of ASU and glucosamine sulfate, has been shown to suppress TNF-α, IL-1β, COX2, iNOS, PGE2, NF-κB activation and nitrite production in articular chondrocytes and monocytes/macrophages, reducing pain and inflammation in OA patients. 115,116,124 " Although correct that Avoca ASU ® and the NMX1000 ® ASU contained in Avoca ASU ® have been shown in published articles to suppress many mediators of inflammation, even more than the authors listed, Avoca ASU ® contains a combination of non-shellfish glu-cosamine hydrochloride, methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), and NMX1000 ® ASU with epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), not ASU and glucosamine sulfate. On page 37, paragraph 3, it is stated: " Avoca ASU that contains glucosamine can induce allergic reaction in people with shellfish allergy. " As stated above, Avoca ASU ® contains non-shellfish, non-animal–derived glucosamine HCl. Additionally, with regard to glucosamine of shellfish origin, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology has stated that it is a misconception that shellfish-allergic patients cannot take shellfish-derived glucosamine products.