Knee osteoarthritis: autologous conditioned serum (ACS) combined with physiotherapy led to significant improvement in pain and function

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee affects 10-15 percent of adults aged over 60 years worldwide (WHO, 2013). There are surgical and non-surgical treatment options. Medicines like hyaluronic acid, corticosteroids, platelet-rich plasma or autologous conditioned serum (ACS/ Orthokine®) can be injected directly into the joint.

The Spanish team of Dr. Jaime Baselga García-Escudero and Dr. Pedro Miguel Hernández Trillos set up a prospective observational study on unilateral knee osteoarthritis which has been published recently in the journal "PLoS ONE", entitled: "Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee with a Combination of Autologous Conditioned Serum and Physiotherapy: A Two-Year Observational Study".

In this trial 118 patients from 34-81 years participated over 24 months. The average pain at the beginning of the trial was 8.1 on the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS 0-10) which correlated with increased Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores. Patients received four intra-articular injections of 2 mL of ACS once weekly over four weeks. The injection therapy was followed by 30 sessions of physiotherapy.

Results

In this study NRS pain scores declined significantly by over 60% during the first three months after treatment and remained steady. The WOMAC global, pain and function score decreased significantly, too. The results from this study were independent from age, gender, weight and stage of disease. "The improvement in pain and function reported in this observational study is impressive", said Prof. Dr. Peter Wehling, CEO of Orthogen AG, Düsseldorf, Germany.

About ACS/ Orthokine®

Orthokine®, branded in Germany Orthokin®, is an autologous blood product derived from the patient's own blood. To produce the product, EOTII syringes (Orthogen Lab Services GmbH, Düsseldorf, Germany) are used.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0145551 (22.2.2016)

Full release at: http://www.presseportal.de/nr/59057

Contact:
Peter Wehling
Phone:+49(0)211-3870012
E-Mail press@orthogen.com