Ferring Pharmaceuticals Unveils Six-Month Efficacy Data for EUFLEXXA(R) for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis...( Results Show Superior Decrease in Pai...),Health

Results Show Superior Decrease in Pain Scores Compared to Saline

PARSIPPANY, N.J., May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Ferring Pharmaceuticals recently presented the results of a six-month safety and efficacy study demonstrating that EUFLEXXA(R) (1% sodium hyaluronate) was effective at decreasing the pain of knee osteoarthritis (OA) at 26 weeks. The study showed that EUFLEXXA (R) is superior to saline in decreasing pain at 26 weeks in patients with OA of the knee.(1) The study results were presented by Dr. Roy D. Altman in a poster at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons on February 23, 2009.

EUFLEXXA(R) is a three-injection treatment regimen indicated for patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative non-pharmacologic therapy and simple analgesics. The goal of hyaluronic acid (HA) therapy is to reduce pain and improve physical function by replenishing the HA in human synovial fluid (fluid in joints). In OA, this fluid becomes thinner, leading to a decrease in elasticity and viscosity.

About the Study

The multicenter, 26-week, randomized, double-blind trial compared EUFLEXXA(R) and intra-articular buffered saline (IA-SA) for level of pain following a 50-Foot Walk Test, measured by 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS). The 586 patients with chronic idiopathic knee OA were randomized to treatment with either product in a 1:1 ratio. Each patient received one weekly injection for 3 weeks with 9 follow-up visits over 26 weeks after the first injection.

The EUFLEXXA(R) group showed an advantage over saline in pain reduction, with a larger mean decrease from baseline in pain scores: -25.7 (28.9) mm versus -18.5(32.5) mm respectively, with a least squares means of -6.6 mm (P=0.002). At 26 weeks, 145 (58%) of EUFLEXXA(R) subjects reported a greater than or equal to 20-mm improvement in pain based on the VAS scoring, compared with 120 (46%) in the o
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