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Biotech / Medical : Biomatrix (BXM) Looking Great -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: John McCarthy who wrote (372)	2/8/1998 6:28:00 PM
From: John McCarthy	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 569

Doctor has done 350 HA Injections ................ Doctors name is:Dr. R. Timothy Deakon His post is below. Would James, AARON , or someone please, in lay terms, define the following words. They are used in the article below: 1.The injections MUST be intraarticular. 2.Intrasynovial or extraarticular injections will not work 3.I have had some good results in severe patellofemoral chondromalacia 4.It is unlikely to work where a significant malalignment exists or where the OA is full compartment bone on bone. I have not edited but did put !* around 1 key sentence. Regards, John ========================================================= Subject: ‚U IŽAIOEE mailing lists From: Alexander Chelnokov <Alexander.Chelnokov@f96.n5080.z2.fidonet.org> Date: 1997/09/18 Message-ID: <2198887828@f96.n5080.z2.ftn> Newsgroups: fido7.su.medic [More Headers] Viscosupplementation for osteoarthritis of the knee When people ask about "gel" injections in the knee for osteoarthritis I assume they are asking about the use of hylauronic acid derivatives that are just now becoming available for use in the US. Hylan GF-20 has been available as an intraarticular injectable since 1993 in Canada. The products currently approved for use include Synvisc and Suplasyn. There are a couple other agents that have recently become available as well but I have little experience with these. Synvisc has been available in Sweden since 1995. The combined Canadian and Swedish sales totalled 6.2 million dollars US in 1996. *************************************** I have used both Synvisc and Suplasyn for the past 3 years, completing about !!!!!!! 350 courses of the injections !!!!!!! *************************************** Synvisc consists of three prepackaged syringes containing 2cc each of Hylan GF-20. These are injected weekly for three weeks. The hyaluronic acid derivative is extracted from rooster combs and is polymerized and crosslinked. Allergy to eggs or chicken is a contraindication to treatment. Synvisc works best in early osteoarthritis or in knees that fail to improve after arthroscopy. It also seems to work in some cases of more advanced OA. It is unlikely to work where a significant malalignment exists or where the OA is full compartment bone on bone. I have had some good results in severe patellofemoral chondromalacia although the company does not promote this use. The injections MUST be intraarticular. Intrasynovial or extraarticular injections will not work and are much more likely to produce inflammatory reactions. These reactions still occur with intraarticular injections in an incidence of about 1-2 %. I have changed my injection technique to ensure it gets in the joint. The response rate in good candidates appears to be about 65-70%. Some responses are more dramatic than cortisone and their effect can last 6-18 months. I have one patient who has had 5 courses of the stuff and he swears by it (he is a physician by the way). The basic science work shows this agent only stays around in the joint for 3-4 days so who knows how it works, but the patients are certainly happy. The key is to use it on knees that are not yet too bad. American physicians should make themselves aware of these agents as many patients come into the office requesting this treatment. If you act with disbelief or resistance the patient will go elsewhere. Of further interest is the price of Biomatrix's stock. In march it was trading at $14 on NASDAQ, yesterday it closed at $41. Do those investment types know some thing we don't? Deak Dr. R. Timothy Deakon Sports Injury Clinic 250 Wyecroft Rd., Unit 18 Oakville, Ontario, CANADA L6K 3T7 Ph 905 849 7220 Fax 905 849 7238 e-mail: kneedoc@wchat.on.ca =========================================================