An analysis of clinical studies of the use of crosslinked hyaluronan, hylan, in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Viscosupplementation with hyaluronan is a safe modality for treating osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, but it often requires many injections to achieve efficacy. This may result from insufficient elastoviscous properties of current hyaluronan preparations or too rapid egress from the joint. Because both of these properties would be improved by increasing the molecular weight of the substance, hylans, or crosslinked hyaluronans, were developed as therapeutic agents for viscosupplementation of osteoarthritic synovial fluid. This report reviews the results of 4 clinical trials in Germany that assessed the efficacy and safety of hylan G-F 20 (Synvisc).