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Approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in
February, ORTHOVISC is now available to patients through
physicians’ offices. It is an injectable form of ultra-pure hyaluronic
acid that can be given in a series of three weekly injections into the
knee joint. The hyaluronan used in ORTHOVISC is similar to healthy human
synovial fluid, a substance that lubricates the knee joint.
Genzyme Biosurgery (Nasdaq:
GZBX), a division of Genzyme Corp., announced today that it has gained
approval in the European Union to market Synvisc(R)
(Hylan G-F 20)
for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain in the hip.
BurnsAdler Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
(“BurnsAdler”), an international pharmaceutical company, announced today
that they have entered into a ten year licensing agreement with Stellar
International, Inc. (“Stellar”) to market NeoVisc® (Sterile Sodium
Hyaluronate Solution 1.0%) in South America, Central America and the
Caribbean.
Used for the treatment of osteoarthritis in the
knee, shoulder or hip, NeoVisc® is indicated as a
replacement/replenishment for synovial fluid. NeoVisc®, introduced in
Canada in 1997, has quickly become one of the fastest growing
viscosupplements.
AAOS: Patients Prefer Hylan G-F 20 Over
Intra-Articular Steroids for Knee Osteoarthritis
By Jill Stein
SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- March 12, 2004 -- Patients with osteoarthritis of the
knee who are treated with Synvisc (Hylan G-F 20) are more satisfied with
their therapy than patients treated with intra-articular steroids,
researchers reported on March 11th
here at the 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic
Surgeons.
The clinical trial
was a single-center study of 56 women and 52 men with an average age of 62
years old. Trial participants had
osteoarthritis in one or both knees and
had failed treatment with NSAIDS or cortisone injections. During the
trial the participants received three intra-articular injections of
Synvisc given one-week apart. Patient assessments were done at 1, 3,
6, 12, 15, and 18 months.
The Hospital For
Special Knee Surgery Rating Scale was used to evaluate the pain relief and
ability to avoid
total knee replacement surgery.
Results indicated that 72.6 percent of patients
treated with Synvisc avoided the total knee replacement surgery
throughout the study.
(Mar. 30) --
Osteoarthritis of the knee is a painful condition
that often leads to a surgical solution. But Eyewitness
News spoke with a local surgeon who says many people may be
candidates for an alternative.
A person with osteoarthritis loses cushioning in their knee, causing the
bones to rub together. The result is some serious pain. If the usual
anti-inflammatory medications are ineffective -- and the patient would
prefer to delay having knee surgery -- there may be an alternative.
Las Vegas orthopedic surgeon, Edward Ashman (Nevada Orthopedic & Spine
Center), can often help the patient with injections of a lubricating
substance known hyaluronic acid
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