The results of the ‘LUNA’ trial [1] (a multicentre, observational safety and efficacy study conducted with the hydrogel Arthrosamid®, involving almost 200 trial participants) are being hailed as “encouraging” and “exciting”.
Early data show that a single injection of Arthrosamid may provide sustained relief for up to a year, reinforcing its role as a safe and effective treatment option for knee osteoarthritis.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects millions of people worldwide (with over 5 million [2] reported sufferers in the UK alone) leading to chronic pain, stiffness, and limited mobility. While some traditional treatments such as physiotherapy, painkillers, and eventually surgery may help with pain-relief, increasing numbers of patients are keen to explore effective, long-lasting and crucially minimally invasive alternatives – which is why ongoing research into the efficacy of treatment innovation has never been more important.
First presented as an abstract at the 8th International Symposium Intra Articular Treatment (ISIAT 2025) in Bucharest, 2-4 October – the LUNA study involved several clinics across Europe. 199 participants diagnosed with moderate-to-severe knee osteoarthritis were given a single 6 ml intra-articular injection of Arthrosamid®. Researchers followed their progress for 12 months, with plans to continue monitoring outcomes for up to five years. Contura Orthopaedics Ltd – which developed the hydrogel injection, Arthrosamid® – has a long heritage of investing in research to demonstrate the value of the treatment.
The long-term efficacy and safety of Arthrosamid® have been widely profiled at conferences across the past 12 months [with studies unveiled this year including “Polyacrylamide Hydrogel for Knee Osteoarthritis: 5-Year Results from a Prospective Study”3 and the results of exciting new safety data, entitled, “10-Year Follow-Up After Intra-Articular Injections of 2.5% Polyacrylamide Hydrogel for Knee Osteoarthritis”]. [4]
However, the scale of the LUNA study provides a new and unique aspect to the growing body of evidence supporting the benefits of the Arthrosamid® injection.
Exploring efficacy and confirming safety:
Patients on the LUNA study experienced statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvements across all key outcome measures, including:
- The 1-year interim results confirm that a single intra-articular injection of Arthrosamid® is well tolerated in participants with knee OA
- In this largest study to date, no serious treatment-related adverse events were observed
- WOMAC pain scores (a widely used OA measurement tool) improved by 17 points on average.
- Similar gains were seen in WOMAC stiffness, physical function, and Patient Global Assessment (PGA) scores.
- The treatment was found to be well tolerated, with any reported side effects being mild and short-lived. The most common adverse events included injection site pain and joint discomfort (arthralgia). Importantly, no serious device-related side effects were reported.
- Additionally, efficacy outcomes demonstrated sustained symptom relief over 12 months, supporting its use as a well-tolerated, non-surgical treatment.
References:
- LUNA 1: Bliddal, H., et al. presented at the ISIAT 2025 conference.
- Versus Arthritis (now known as Arthritis UK) data report, 2023.
- Bliddal, H., et al. (2025). Results from 5 years. Abstract P563 presented at WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2025.
- Bliddal, H., et al. (2025). 10-Year Follow-up. Abstract OC11 presented at WCO-IOF-ESCEO 2025.
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