SANGEETA YADAV talks to Apollo doctors about the revolutionary products to treat osteoarthritis
One in every four osteoarthritis patient is turning out to be less than 40 years old. Doctors fear that by 2025, India may have over 60 million cases of osteoarthritis, making it the world leader of the disease. Osteoarthritis affects over 15 million adults every year but is still a neglected ailment. With the numbers rising, its early detection and prevention have become focal points of medical research and equipment.
Apart from knee and hip replacement surgeries and the Synvisc fluid filling procedure, patients now have a quicker option to combat knee and hip pain — through the newly launched innovative regenerative cell treatment.
Apollo Hospitals has partnered with RMS Regrow, the first Make-in-India Cell Therapy Technology company, to offer two new revolutionary Regenerative Medicine Cell Therapy products — Ossron and Chondron — for bone and cartilage problems. The two products will address unmet clinical needs in the orthopaedic market with respect to sports injuries, accidents and as an alternative to hip and knee replacement surgeries for a young arthritic knee.
Unveiling the technology in the Capital on Monday, Apollo Hospitals founder chairman Dr Prathap C Reddy said: “Ossron for bone treatment is the first in the world and Chondron for cartilage treatment third in India after the US and Germany. It will be made available across all Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Spectra Hospitals and Apollo clinics in India. The treatment which costs around $3000 is now available here for just Rs3.5 to Rs4 lakh. Every year, we bring in new protocols to treat ailments efficiently, cheaply and with a lot of compassion. Patients need to stay at the hospital for not more than three to four days. Our association with RMS Regrow is a step to inspire talent in India to further the advancement of developing innovative healthcare treatments and reduce the growing disease burden in India,” he added.
Ossron and Chondron, the result of dedicated research at Regrow, are patented technology developed following regulatory guidelines. The market authorisation came after several clinical trials and evaluation studies over eight years.
Founder CEO of RMS Regrow Yash Sanghavi called the Regenerative Cell Therapy a revolutionary treatment with immense potential to liberate joint pain. “The products will change the modalities for bone and cartilage treatment in India. The R&D and clinical trials cost Rs45 crore and the total cost of innovation came to Rs80 crore. We got approved by DGCI two months ago,” he announced.
As an exclusive offering, Apollo Hospitals will create a platform for orthopaedic doctors to practice Regenerative Medicine through live surgical workshops, doctor CMEs and national and global conferences. “We have trained 200 surgeons who will be operating patients at 40 Apollo centres. We will hold workshops and educative sessions across India to bring this technology into practice at the earliest,” Apollo Hospitals’ Joint Managing Director Sangita Reddy said.