First Clinic In Scotland To Offer Innovative Injection To Help Patients Suffering From Knee Osteoarthritis

Scottish patients experiencing pain and discomfort caused by knee osteoarthritis will now have the opportunity to trial a new class of hydrogel injectable called Arthrosamid available for the first time in Scotland. The Glasgow Private Clinic is leading the way by pioneering this non-biodegradable injectable implant, which offers safe and sustained pain relief with one single injection; a viable alternative to invasive open knee surgery.

Arthrosamid® is a polyacrylamide hydrogel developed by Contura International Ltd as a long lasting intra-articular injection, approved in Europe to treat knee osteoarthritis (OA).  The treatment has the potential to change the present care pathway for managing OA, which affects over 800,000 people in Scotland.¹  Often, current treatments are not long-lasting or involve eventual invasive knee replacement surgery. Despite a large suffering population, there has been very little innovation in the range of OA treatments on offer to help patients – until now.

Eligible patients receive a single treatment – a 6ml dose of Athrosamid® – which is injected into the joint space to cushion the knee and relieve pain. Arthrosamid® becomes embedded in the synovial membrane², providing increased cushioning and bringing pain relief and improved mobility within a few weeks³, decreasing stiffness and improve the function of the knee affected by knee osteoarthritis.  The development of Arthrosamid® followed impressive clinical data with Arthramid® Vet, a related product of the company, used to treat lameness in horses.

New three-year data for Arthrosamid® presented at the OARSI World Congress in Denver, Colarado, USA, demonstrated the long-term efficacy of the injection – showing that a single injection of 6ml 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel Arthrosamid® maintained a statistically significant reduction in pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) three years after treatment⁴.

Dr Manas Tiwari, General Practitioner at The Glasgow Clinic with a keen interest in musculoskeletal medicine with specific interests in racetrack trauma and joint injections comments; “We’re honoured to be the first Clinic in Scotland to introduce Arthrosamid® to patients.  Knee osteoarthritis is a debilitating condition, which can hold people back from the everyday activities that they love whether that’s gardening, hiking, golf or walking the dog. Now, this breakthrough treatment has huge potential to offer patients an alternative to invasive knee surgery, with a simple, but effective hydrogel injection that tackles the pain and discomfort experienced by so many. We’re proud to lead the way in health care excellence and innovation – and Arthrosamid® is a perfect example of this. The data behind Arthrosamid® is impressive, demonstrating the long-term benefits to patients with data now out to 3 years.

Rakesh Tailor, CEO of Contura comments, “This partnership is very much in line with our strategy to expand our network of expert clinicians and we’re delighted to be partnering with The Glasgow Private Clinic. Since launching the treatment two years ago, it has been used to treat over 2,000 patients administered by our network of clinical experts across Europe, we’ve had many enquiries from people in Scotland seeking more information and potential treatment. So, we know that there is demand for a non-invasive treatment option for knee osteoarthritis in the area and we’re thrilled that patients now have an accessible option..” 

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References:

1. https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/2136/scotland-manifesto.pdf
2. Christensen, L., et al. (2016). Histological Appearance of the Synovial Membrane after Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis with Polyacrylamide Gel Injections: A Case Report. Journal of Arthritis. Vol 5: 217.
3. Bliddal, H, Overgaard, A, Hartkopp, A et al. (2021) Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: A 6 Months Prospective Study. Journal of Orthopedic Research and Therapy, 6 (2). 1188. ISSN 2575-8241.
4. Henriksen, M. et al. (2023). 3 year results from a prospective study of polyacrylamide hydrogel for knee osteoarthritis.. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 31(5), P682–683. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2023.02.023.