A new white paper entitled “Inside the Science: A Major Step Forward for Knee Osteoarthritis” has been released which heralds the dawn of a new era of treatments for knee osteoarthritis (OA) that can offer a viable alternative to surgery on the NHS, currently facing a backlog of patients.
Launched to coincide with the first major conference in the annual industry calendar – BASK 2026 (British Association of Surgery for the Knee) which took place on April 14-15th 2026 in Glasgow, the paper has been commissioned by Contura Orthopaedics Ltd.
The objective of the independently authored report is to engage the academic and clinical community in meaningful conversation around the future of treatments to address the growing, global burden of knee osteoarthritis. It catalogues completed, ongoing and planned research trials, concluding that this work is doing more than just furthering a deeper understanding of Arthrosamid® – these studies are also helping in a bid to have this unique hydrogel routinely offered by the NHS.
Setting out the current landscape, the report outlines the latest figures which show that around 850,000 patients are currently on the NHS waiting list for planned joint treatment, which includes knee replacement surgery1. According to the latest data from The King’s Fund2, the NHS is lagging behind its aim that 92% of patients should not have to wait more than 18 weeks from elective referral to their first treatment such as knee replacement surgery. Currently only 62% of patients hit this NHS goal.
But now there is fresh hope on the horizon in the form of Arthrosamid®, a pioneering injectable hydrogel commercially launched in the UK in 2022. Its rise has been rapid. Delivered as a single, minimally invasive outpatient procedure,3,4 Arthrosamid® is an evidence-based, viable and long-lasting alternative to conventional therapies (including partial or total knee replacement surgery) for patients with knee OA.3,4
It’s now forecast that this year alone around 20,000 patients – half of them in the UK – will receive a single injection of Arthrosamid®. The report, including comment from leading clinicians and researchers worldwide, concludes that it could offer some more lasting relief from chronic pain and allow people to return to the life they once enjoyed.
Inside the Science: what is research telling us?
The white paper outlines several milestone pieces of research regarding the safety and efficacy of Arthrosamid® that have been presented in recent years. In fact, the 2.5% polyacrylamide hydrogel,3,4 designed to give patients long-lasting pain relief from knee OA.5,6 is backed by over two decades of research7.
Significant studies were unveiled in 2025 by Professor Henning Bliddal including “Polyacrylamide Hydrogel for Knee Osteoarthritis: 5-Year Results from a Prospective Study”6 and the results of new safety data, entitled, “10-Year Follow-Up After Intra-Articular Injections of 2.5% Polyacrylamide Hydrogel for Knee Osteoarthritis”8.
Research: what’s on the horizon?
Ongoing research led by Professor Martyn Snow, a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire, explores how Arthrosamid® cou