The delivery system behind URAH products.
Why promising ingredients disappoint in human trials
Many active ingredients perform in the laboratory and then disappoint in human use. Glucosamine is the best-known example in joint health. Three things usually explain the gap, and none of them is the ingredient.
Lost on the way
A swallowed supplement passes through digestion and liver metabolism first. Much of the dose never reaches circulation at all.
Spread too thin
Whatever survives is distributed across the entire body rather than concentrating anywhere near the joint that needs it.
Hard on the gut
The oral route carries digestive side effects, which limits anything intended for daily long-term use.
An ordinary cream has the opposite problem. The skin barrier exists to keep things out, so a cream can contain glucosamine and leave most of it on the surface.
URAH-MD was built as a third route: micellar transdermal delivery — applied where support is needed, absorbed through the skin, bypassing the digestive system entirely.
Three parts, working together
URAH-MD — Micellar Delivery Technology — is the transdermal delivery system developed by URAH Research Lab in Singapore. Its purpose is to carry active ingredients to where they are needed, in useful amounts, without the digestive route.
It is a three-part process.
The formulation
A micellar formulation that carries active ingredients across the skin barrier. Natural and biodegradable.
The manufacturing process
A controlled production method that makes every tube the same as the last.
The quality standard
Testing on every batch before it ships.
URAH-MD was patented in the United States, Japan and Singapore.
In development since 1999.
The first version was developed in 1999. It has been improved continuously ever since — with more than a million users and over 15 years of clinical use behind it.
First version of the micellar delivery system developed at URAH Research Lab in Singapore, under Dr Jonathan Obaje.
Ten years of development and testing, with patents granted in the United States, Japan and Singapore..
First commercial release, with an orthopaedic surgeon as clinical advisor.
Absorption research published, measuring glucosamine in the bloodstream against the oral route.1
Peer-reviewed knee osteoarthritis study published in the Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, using URAH 8% w/w glucosamine cream.2
Transdermal glucosamine cream evaluated across 16 outpatient clinics in Singapore — 44 patients, four weeks, tracking pain, function, compliance and safety.Read the report →
Over 15 years of use in hospitals and clinics. More than a million users. The formula is still being refined.
A long safety record
Micellar glucosamine.
Glucosamine delivered through the URAH-MD system — applied to the skin over the joint, absorbed transdermally, bypassing digestion.
What else the system can carry
URAH-MD is a delivery route, not a joint product. Three ingredients have been delivered safely and effectively to date.
It is a three-part process.
Glucosamine
Joint and cartilage-matrix support. The application behind the research on this page.
Bio-calcium
Delivered through the same system, directed at bone-health support.
Arbutin
A skincare active, delivered through the same system.
More is in development.Several R&D programmes are underway to expand the list of ingredients URAH-MD can deliver — The aim is quality of life, healthspan and longevity.
How to test any glucosamine cream.
Not all glucosamine creams are created equal. Here are five simple checks to help you evaluate any product — four of which you can do at home.
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1
Sensation is not a measure of effectiveness
Menthol, capsaicin and camphor produce a warming or cooling feeling that is not evidence of delivery; some can irritate skin with repeated use.
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2
Look for the concentration on the packaging
Below 7% glucosamine (under 70mg per 1g) there may not be enough to be effective. Low-concentration products often omit the percentage.
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3
Check whether it has separated
Glucosamine breaks emulsions. Check the tube for water and watery patches when squeezed. A shake before use label indicates instability.
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4
Do the wrist test
Rub 1g into one wrist, wait 15 minutes, press firmly. Whitish scales or powdery debris = cream dried on surface, not absorbed.
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5
Check the pH
Dip a pH meter or litmus paper into the cream. Below 2.3 is too acidic for daily long-term use.
URAH is built to pass all five, with over 15 years of use in humans behind it.
What has been measured.
more glucosamine measured in the bloodstream than the oral form
BMC Research Notes, 2016
increase in measured medial joint space width over 12 weeks — 0.49mm to 0.79mm
Hong Kong Physiotherapy Journal, 2018
clinics where pain scores improved over four weeks, with no adverse reactions reported
Outpatient clinical survey, Singapore
Using it day to day.
Apply it over the joint you want to support — knee, fingers, hip, shoulder, ankle, wrist, back or neck. Once or twice daily, consistently.
Support begins where you apply it. Absorbed glucosamine then enters circulation, which carries it further — including to joints a surface-level cream would not reach.
- → You've tried oral glucosamine and weren't convinced by the result
- → You'd rather not add another tablet to the day
- → More than one joint needs attention at once
- → You want something built for daily use over years
- → You want to know what has been measured before you commit
Common questions
No. Most joint creams work through surface sensation — heat, cold, tingling or numbing. URAH-MD is a delivery system, built to carry active ingredients across the skin barrier rather than to produce a sensation.
Support begins around the area you apply it to, and absorbed glucosamine then circulates further. The omega-3 component acts locally where applied.
Glucosamine crosses the skin barrier and enters circulation, which carries it further. The joint-space research provides a measured structural signal.*URAH does not claim direct cartilage injection or guaranteed reversal of joint damage.
No. URAH is not an NSAID and does not work by numbing. It is formulated to ease discomfort where it is applied, which many people notice early where the issue is mild to moderate, alongside daily joint support that builds over weeks.
Four to twelve weeks of consistent daily use. Pain improvement was measured at four weeks in the clinical survey; structural change at twelve in the knee osteoarthritis study.
No. See a healthcare professional for severe pain, sudden swelling, redness, fever, injury, a joint that locks or gives way, or symptoms that are rapidly worsening — and don't delay care you've been advised to have.
The formulas built on URAH-MD
URAH Joint Health Omega-3
The formulation used in the published research. For morning stiffness, ageing joints and daily cartilage-matrix support across fingers, knees, hips, shoulders and back.
Sporting Cream MSM
The same delivery system with MSM, for joints under training load and recovery between sessions.
Bone Health Bio-Calcium
The same delivery system directed at bone strength and long-term skeletal mobility.
Medial joint space width is an indirect measure of cartilage thickness, and the standard structural marker used in osteoarthritis imaging research. Further study is planned. Individual results vary. URAH products are topical wellness products and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or are under medical care, speak with a healthcare professional before starting any new product.