Pro Bono Bio® is pleased to introduce its new topical treatment for osteoarthritis, FLEXISEQ, to Ireland. Ireland has over 450,000 sufferers of this debilitating disease according to Arthritis Ireland and FLEXISEQ provides a versatile and novel treatment option for patients.
John Church, CEO of Arthritis Ireland said “We welcome any new innovative approach to making life easier for the 450,000 people living with osteoarthritis in Ireland. We look forward to hearing patient feedback on this drug-free product; and working with physicians to see where FLEXISEQ best fits in the treatment options of this chronic and painful disease”.
Professor Geraldine McCarthy from Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, in Dublin said “I have been aware of FLEXISEQ since its launch in Germany last year and welcome its arrival in Ireland, as we have a real need for new treatments for the symptoms of osteoarthritis. I look forward to hearing feedback from our patients.”
FLEXISEQ is an innovative treatment, researched and developed in Germany, for the management of pain and joint stiffness in patients with osteoarthritis. The drug-free gel is supported by a wealth of clinical data; a review of the results of one large clinical study was recently published in Rheumatology, the official journal of the British Society for Rheumatology.
Professor Philip Conaghan, from the University of Leeds, and lead author of this 1300 patient study said: “Most people with osteoarthritis live with chronic pain that interferes with their daily activities. Many can’t take or can’t tolerate current oral analgesics because of side effects. There is therefore a huge unmet need for effective and safe analgesics for osteoarthritis. The new study is interesting because it suggests that a novel topical therapy, that doesn’t include a topical anti-inflammatory drug, may help osteoarthritis pain”.
Professor Wolfgang Bolten, president of ‘Rheumaliga Hessen’ (Germany) and co-author of the study, highlighted the relevance of its findings for the population of cardiovascular patients also suffering from osteoarthritis and at risk from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) related side effects: “For topical FLEXISEQ, the study showed the same pain and stiffness reducing qualities as oral celecoxib. As it does not contain any NSAID (or other pharmaceutical ingredient), side effects are very rare and it does not interact with other drugs. Therefore the many elderly osteoarthritis patients with cardiovascular problems, in which NSAIDs are contraindicated, can be treated at low risk.”
FLEXISEQ has been generating a lot of interest recently, from the findings of a patient survey demonstrating the product’s effectiveness in a “real world” setting in addition to the clinical studies, to it being awarded “Innovation of 2013” by the Federal Association of German Pharmacists, recognising its novel mode of action. Pro Bono Bio is now launching FLEXISEQ in other countries in Europe and Asia.
Pro Bono Bio’s Chief Operating Officer, Michael Earl, said of the launch: “This latest launch of FLEXISEQ offers a great new treatment option to Irish sufferers of OA, particularly the “at risk” patient groups. It is also an important further development for the company as we expand the countries we operate in”.
Ascension Healthcare plc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising innovative therapies for the treatment of haemophilia and osteoarthritis. The Company has three products in clinical development for the treatment of haemophilia A and also a range of internationally marketed products for osteoarthritis sufferers. For more information please visit: www.ascension.co.uk/
For more information contact
Ascension Healthcare plc
Biresh Roy, Chief Executive Officer
[email protected] / +44 (0)20 7291 5400
Consilium Strategic Communications
(European Media and Investor Enquiries)
Lindsey Neville, Ashley Tapp
Tel: +44 (0)20 3709 5700 / [email protected]