HCA UK clinicians pledge to provide ‘added value’ to patients through detailed physical follow-up protocol to help chart progress
Contura Orthopaedics Ltd has announced that a major hospital group has signed up to Arthrosamid®, allowing clinicians to offer this novel procedure to its patients in London and across the UK.
The new partnership with HCA Healthcare UK will initially see the single use injection for knee osteoarthritis (OA) offered to patients at The Princess Grace Hospital and The Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH). It will be performed by internationally recognised sport and exercise medicine physicians, who see patients for musculoskeletal disorders in addition to sporting injuries and complaints at its state-of-the-art facility located on Tottenham Court Road in Central London. The treatment will be rolled out across other facilities across the HCA Healthcare UK group in the coming months.
Arthrosamid® is a polyacrylamide hydrogel first developed by Contura International Ltd. It is a long-lasting intra-articular injection approved in Europe for the treatment of knee OA. The treatment has the potential to change the present care pathway for managing OA, which affects approximately 8.5 million people in the UK (around 1 in 5 people aged over 45 in England [1]). Despite this large suffering population, many current treatments have limited impact, with invasive knee replacement surgery often viewed as the ultimate solution.
The ongoing expansion of Arthrosamid® availability across the UK and Europe, represents an innovative solution to manage OA more effectively, and potentially delaying or even removing the need for surgery.
Consisting of 2.5% cross-linked polyacrylamide and 97.5% non-pyrogenic water, a single 6ml dose of Arthrosamid® is injected into the joint space to cushion the knee and relieve pain in one single treatment [2]. Patients can expect to see improved mobility and pain relief within days where the effect is long lasting [3].
Arthrosamid® becomes embedded in the synovial membrane, providing increased cushioning and bringing both pain relief and improved mobility to patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.
Signally the start of this exciting new partnership, Arthrosamid® has already been administered by Dr Noel Pollock at ISEH, treating patients who were considered currently ineligible for knee replacement surgery and, as such, were seeking long lasting and non-invasive pain relief. The patients will now be followed up closely to observe potential benefits, ‘paving the way’ for more patients to make the informed decision of opting for Arthrosamid® as a viable treatment option for knee pain caused by OA.
Contura’s CEO, Rakesh Tailor comments; “We’re delighted to be working with the teams at The Princess Grace Hospital and ISEH through our new relationship with HCA UK. What is really exciting is that world leading clinicians at these centres will also be offering all patients an ‘added value’ strength diagnostics and PROMS * from baseline, with individual follow-ups at 3,6 & 12 months to obtain a clearer understanding of how the patients progress, following treatment using Arthrosamid®.
“As we gather more and more compelling scientific data, we really do believe that Arthrosamid® – which was designed to be delivered in out-patient clinics without any hospital stay – will prove to have a multiyear benefit for patients that will completely change the management of knee OA pain and delay the need for invasive knee surgery.”
He adds; “The discomfort caused by knee OA can hugely impact a patient’s quality of life, making everyday activities really challenging. For patients not suitable for surgery, or deemed too young for a knee replacement, Arthrosamid® represents a game changing option as a safe non-degrading hydrogel in a single injection which can provide sustained pain relief. This latest collaboration with HCA will help to widen access to Arthrosamid®, taking us a step further towards fulfilling our vision of helping thousands more patients find relief from the pain of knee OA.”
Professor Fares Haddad, Clinical Director at ISEH and Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, said: “Arthrosamid is a novel treatment for patients with osteoarthritis who have not responded to standard treatments and are unsuitable for surgery or reluctant to consider it. Early evidence is encouraging and the team at ISEH are therefore undertaking a detailed analysis of its effectiveness and impact on pain and function.”
Professor Mathew Wilson, Head of Sport and Exercise Medicine at ISEH said: “The Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health is excited to be partnering with Contura to collect robust scientific evidence on the potential effectiveness of this novel treatment on osteoarthritis. ISEH has integrated our dedicated musculoskeletal research unit to independently validate the potential benefits of this treatment in comparison to alternative treatments.”
For further information about accessing the treatment, contact the Contura Orthopaedics Team via enquiries@arthrosamid.com
References
- https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg177/resources/osteoarthritis-update-final-scope2
- Christensen, L., Camitz, L., Illigen, K.E., Hansen, M., Sarvaa, R., Conaghan, P.G., 2016. Synovial incorporation of polyacrylamide hydrogel after injection into normal and osteoarthritic animal joints. Osteoarthritis and cartilage / OARS, Osteoarthritis Research Society 24, 1999-2002.
- OARSI CONNECT 2021 POSTER 336 POLYACRYLAMIDE HYDROGEL INJECTION FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS: RESULTS OF A 52 WEEK PROSPECTIVE STUDY Henning Bliddal, Anders Overgaard, Andreas Hartkopp, Jannie Beier, Philip G Conaghan, Marius Henriksen.
