Hyaluronic Acid – Creation of Slow-release Formulations for Osteoarthritis Treatments

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the world’s most common degenerative joint disorder, affecting more than 60% of the population over the age of 651. During this condition, bone surfaces come into contact under ordinary loads, leading to severe pain and disability, and symptoms including subchondral bone sclerosis, progressive articular cartilage loss and synovial fluid viscosity decrease. Economically, the cost of arthritis as a whole is extortionate, with the total economic burden estimated to be 2.5% of the gross national product of Western nations. OA accounts for a large portion of this in the United States alone, the costs have been estimated to be more than 60 billion dollars per year.2