Method for the treatment or prevention of osteoarthritis

A method of treating subject at risk of developing osteoarthritis, the method comprising:

• administering to the subject a peptide;
• wherein the peptide consists of the amino acid sequence according to SEQ ID NO:
• 18 or an analogue thereof,
• wherein the analogue is a peptide consisting of the amino acid sequence according to formula 1, or a fragment thereof;
• wherein the fragment consists of at least 10 consecutive amino acids of SEQ ID NO:
• 18 or wherein the fragment consists of at least 10 consecutive amino acids of the amino acid sequence according to formula 1,
• wherein formula 1 is:
• P K P S S X1 P X2 X3 L X4 X5 I X6 V X7 X8 X9 D X10 X11 X12 X13 X14 X15 X16 X17 X18 X19 X20 X21 M V V X22 X23 S G S X24 (SEQ ID NO:
• 29), and
• wherein;
• X1=A or V
• X2=T or D or E
• X3=Q or D or K or S
• X4=N or D or E or H
• X5=A or D or S
• X6=S or I or L or M or F or Y or E or H or K or Q or R or D
• X7=L or E or K or T or M or R
• X8=Y or A or D or E or H or K or S or T
• X9=F or H or A or D or E or K or Q or R or Y
• X10=D or I or L or E or N or S or T
• X11=S or D or E or N or R
• X12=S or D or E or K or N or T
• X13=N or E or Q or R
• X14=V or A or D or N or R or T or M or Y or H
• X15=I or A or D or E or K or N or Q or R or S or T or V
• X16=L or A or E or K or Q
• X17=K or D or E or G or Q or R or W
• X18=K or A or D or E or H or N or P or Q or S or T or I or V or M
• X19=Y or D or E or H or K or Q or I or R
• X20=R or D or E or K or N or S
• X21=N or D
• X22=R or E or S or D or K or Q or L
• X23=A or E or D or S
• X24=H or R;
• wherein the fragment comprises Leu at a position corresponding to position 16 of formula 1 or Ser at a position corresponding to position 37 of formula 1.