Data from the pilot study, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of Hyalgan (sodium hyaluronate) versus saline in the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) of the ankle, suggested that five weekly intraarticular (IA) injections of Hyalgan provide sustained relief of pain and improved ankle function.
The trial showed a statistically significant time effect in mean ankle osteoarthritis scale (AOS) scores in both the Hyalgan and saline group. Researchers also reported that 55.6% of the patients treated with Hyalgan had a clinically significant improvement in their visual analog scales (VAS) scores compared to a 12.5% improvement in the saline group.
The trial is the first controlled study to demonstrate a benefit with Hyalgan in treatment of OA of the ankle and is consistent with previously published studies using Hyalgan in the knee.
“As surgery to treat OA of the ankle is often quite painful, Hyalgan may offer patients, who may not have had success with traditional pain medications, another option to treat their OA,” said Dr Robert Salk of the Northern California Foot and Ankle Center, San Francisco, California. “This study is encouraging as it continues to build on the existing data suggesting benefits from the use of Hyalgan in other joints.”
Hyalgan is indicated for the treatment of pain in OA of the knee in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative nonpharmacologic therapy, and to simple analgesics such as acetaminophen (paracetamol).