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Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affecting 1 in 7 adults in the United States alone. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Usually the symptoms progress slowly over years. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, and, when the back is affected, weakness or numbness of the arms and legs. The most commonly involved joints are the two near the ends of the fingers and the joint at the base of the thumbs, the knee and hip joints, and the joints of the neck and lower back. The symptoms can interfere with work and normal daily activities. Unlike some other types of arthritis, only the joints, not internal organs, are affected.
In medicine, a joint injection is a procedure used in the treatment of inflammatory joint conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, tendinitis, bursitis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and occasionally osteoarthritis. A hypodermic needle is injected into the affected joint where it delivers a dose of any one of many anti-inflammatory agents, the most common of which are corticosteroids. Hyaluronic acid, because of its high viscosity, is sometimes used to replace bursa fluids. The technique may be used to also withdraw excess fluid from the joint.
Triamcinolone acetonide, sold under the brand name Kenalog among others, is a synthetic corticosteroid medication used topically to treat various skin conditions, to relieve the discomfort of mouth sores, and by injection into joints to treat various joint conditions. It is also injected into lesions to treat inflammation in some parts of the body, particularly the skin. In nasal spray form, it is used to treat allergic rhinitis. It is used for the treatment of macular edema associated with uveitis. It is a more potent derivative of triamcinolone, and is about eight times as potent as prednisone.
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Manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) or fibrosis release procedures is a multidisciplinary, chronic pain-related manual therapy modality which is used for the purpose of improving articular and soft tissue movement. This is accomplished by way of a combination of controlled joint mobilization/manipulation and myofascial release techniques. MUA is used by osteopathic/orthopedic physicians, chiropractors and specially trained physicians. It aims to break up adhesions on or around spinal joints or extremity joints to which a restricted range of motion can be painful and limit function. Failed attempts at other standard conservative treatment methods, over a sufficient time-frame, is one of the principal patient qualifiers.
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Naproxcinod (nitronaproxen) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) developed by the French pharmaceutical company NicOx. It is a derivative of naproxen with a nitroxybutyl ester to allow it to also act as a nitric oxide (NO) donor. This second mechanism of action makes naproxcinod the first in a new class of drugs, the cyclooxygenase inhibiting nitric oxide donators (CINODs), that are hoped to produce similar analgesic efficacy to traditional NSAIDs, but with less gastrointestinal and cardiovascular side effects.
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A disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) is a disease-modifying drug that would inhibit or even reverse the progression of osteoarthritis. Since the main hallmark of osteoarthritis is cartilage loss, a typical DMOAD would prevent the loss of cartilage and potentially regenerate it. Other DMOADs may attempt to help repair adjacent tissues by reducing inflammation. A successful DMOAD would be expected to show an improvement in patient pain and function with an improvement of the health of the joint tissues.
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References
- ↑ Gormley, Brian. (28 November 2011). "Flexion Changes Endgame, Advances Osteoarthritis Drugs." Dow Jones VentureWire.
- ↑ Young, Robin (March 8, 2012). "Could This Be Orthopedics' Future?". Orthopedics This Week. Archived from the original on May 14, 2012.
- ↑ "How Flexion Pivoted To Become A Commercial Biotech". www.clinicalleader.com. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
- ↑ Weisman, Robert (December 12, 2016). "2 biotechs look to market knee pain treatments - The Boston Globe". Boston Globe.
- ↑ "Triamcinolone acetonide sustained-release". AdisInsight. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ↑ "Flexion Therapeutics Announces FDA Approval of Zilretta™ (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension) for Osteoarthritis (OA) Knee Pain". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). 2017-10-06. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ↑ "Flexion Therapeutics Announces Acquisition of Novel, Non-Opioid Asset for Osteoarthritis of the Knee". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ↑ Flexion Therapeutics, Inc. (2020-09-16). "An Open-Label, Single Ascending Dose Study to Assess the Safety and Tolerability of FX201 in Patients With Osteoarthritis of the Knee".
- ↑ "Flexion Therapeutics and Xenon Pharmaceuticals Announce Flexion's Acquisition of an Investigational NaV1.7 Inhibitor for the Treatment of Post-Operative Pain". BioSpace. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ↑ "Flexion Therapeutics Announces Positive Preclinical Data Supporting Development of FX301, a Locally Administered Nav1.7 Inhibitor Product Candidate for Post-Operative Pain". GlobeNewswire News Room (Press release). 2020-04-27. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
