About Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints. Knee osteoarthritis is the most common type of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is characterized by loss of articular cartilage, subchondral bone sclerosis, osteophyte formation, changes in the synovial membrane, and reduced viscosity of synovial fluid.
- Hyaluronan and corticosteroids are common therapies used to treat the pain associated with osteoarthritis. Approximately 1.4 million intra-articular hyaluronan based injections and close to 1.9 million corticosteroid injections were given in 2010 to treat the pain associated with osteoarthritis.
- Hyaluronan is a naturally occurring constituent of the extracellular matrix of body tissues and is found in significant concentration in the synovial fluid and articular cartilage of joints. The mechanism of action of hyaluronan in relieving pain in Osteoarthritis is not clearly understood, as is the reason underlying the limited effectiveness of many of the commercially available hyaluronan products. The latter may be due to early degradation and clearance of the hyaluronan component.
Corticosteroids are approved for intra-articular injection and are indicated for short-term administration for acute episodes or exacerbations of osteoarthritis. It is known that steroids can directly inhibit the activation of inflammatory cells and their release of degradation products and recruitment factors. The short-term therapeutic effect of steroid can decrease pain.
Carbylan BioSurgery has conducted a key feasibility study to demonstrate the safety and performance of Hydros and Hydros-TA for the management of pain associated with osteoarthritis.