Sanofi's Hyalgan Launched In USA

Sanofi and partner OrthoLogic have launched an intra-articular injectionformulation of sodium hyaluronate, under the trade name Hyalgan, for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee in the USA. The "viscoelastic modifying" product, licensed from Fidia of Italy, is approved for use in patients who fail to respond to conservative non-pharmacological therapy and to simple analgesics.

The product is being promoted as the first in a new class of agents which offer an effective and well-tolerated alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. A course of Hyalgan treatment, consisting of five injections administered directly into the knee over four weeks, relieves pain in a majority of patients for six months. In many patients the relief lasts for even longer than six months, notes Sanofi.

The average wholesale price for the product is $105 per injection, which is comparable to a prescription course of NSAIDs over six months.