( CAMBRIDGE Mass. July 05 2007 /PRNew...)Genzyme Announces Results of Clinical Trial of Hylastan,Health

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 05, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Genzyme Corp. today announced top-line results from a pivotal study investigating the safety and efficacy of hylastan in treating pain in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Hylastan is being developed within Genzyme's program to introduce a viscosupplementation product that can be delivered through a single knee injection. The goal of this effort is to simplify OA pain management, reduce the overall cost of therapy and advance a treatment option that may expand the benefits of viscosupplementation to a broader number of patients.

Genzyme's development program also includes Synvisc-One(TM), an investigational combined-dose regimen of Synvisc(R) (hylan G-F 20) provided in a single injection, which the company is currently seeking to market in the United States and Europe. Genzyme has submitted an application to the FDA for Synvisc-One, and later this month will apply for a CE Mark to introduce Synvisc-One in Europe. Regulatory action on both applications is expected this year. Results from the successful pivotal study of Synvisc-One were presented last month at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.

The pivotal trial of hylastan was a double-blind, active-control study involving nearly 400 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee enrolled at 27 sites in North America and Europe. Patients were randomized to receive two intra-articular injections of hylastan delivered two weeks apart, a single injection of hylastan, or an injection of a corticosteroid. Patients were evaluated for 26 weeks following treatment. Results showed a statistically significant and clinically meaningful reduction in knee pain compared to baseline for each of the three treatment arms. However, the difference in pain reduction between patients treated with hylastan and patients treated with a steroid was not significant, and the trial did not meet its pr
'"/>