The National Senior Games Association and Euflexxa(R) Extend Partnership

PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Senior Games Association (NSGA) announced Euflexxa® (1% sodium hyaluronate) will continue its Silver Medal Sponsorship of the Summer National Senior Games.  The biennial Summer National Senior Games is the largest multi-sport event in the world for men and women over the age of 50.  The event attracted more than 10,000 athletes and more than 30,000 additional guests to the 2009 Games held in the San Francisco Bay Area, with an economic impact exceeding forty million dollars.

"We could not be more excited that our relationship with Euflexxa will continue," said Phil Godfrey, President and Chief Executive Officer of NSGA.  "Euflexxa is a great product partner for our active aging programs and the consumer education efforts behind it are a perfect complement to our outreach as they explain how and where people can get help for their osteoarthritis knee pain thereby helping them to continue their exercise regimen."

"Our goal is to help people maintain their active lifestyles while challenged with knee pain of osteoarthritis (OA)," said William Garbarini, Jr., Vice President, Orthopaedics and Urology, Ferring Pharmaceuticals Inc.  "OA affects many, many people and our partnership with the NSGA allows us to spread the word that knee pain can be managed and function can be improved."

About the NSGA

NSGA is a multi-sport organizations council member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and serves as the USOC's official arm to the 50 and over population. The NSGA is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles for adults 50 and over through education, fitness and sport. Through its programs, the NSGA assists adults in achieving greater value and quality in their lives by staying healthy, active and fit.  NSGA thanks its corporate sponsors Humana, AstraZeneca, and Euflexxa. Go to www.nsga.com for more information about NSGA and its programs.

About EUFLEXXA®

EUFLEXXA® (1% sodium hyaluronate) is the first non-avian derived* hyaluronic acid (HA) approved in the U.S. for treatment of knee pain due to osteoarthritis (OA).  EUFLEXXA® is indicated for patients who have failed to get adequate pain relief either from simple pain medications, such as acetaminophen, or from exercise and/or physical therapy. The process used to manufacture EUFLEXXA® results in highly-purified HA with properties similar to the HA in healthy human synovial fluid.(1-4)  EUFLEXXA® received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on December 3, 2004 and became available to the public on November 8, 2005.  

EUFLEXXA® should not be used in people who have had any previous allergic reaction to hyaluronate preparations or who have knee joint infections or skin diseases in the area of the injection site. After receiving the injection, people may need to avoid activities such as jogging, tennis, heavy lifting, or standing on their feet for a long time (more than one hour). The safety and effectiveness of repeat treatment cycles of EUFLEXXA® have not been established nor has it been shown to be safe and effective in children under 18 years of age. Side effects sometimes seen when EUFLEXXA® is injected into the knee joint were pain, swelling, skin irritation, and tenderness and these were generally mild and did not last long.  For more information, visit www.EUFLEXXA.com.

*Derived through bacterial fermentation

1. Data on File, Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

2. Kirchner M, Marshall D. A double-blind randomized controlled trial comparing alternate forms of high molecular weight hyaluronan for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.  Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2006; 14:154-162.

3. Schiavinato A, Finesso M, Cortivo R, & Abatangelo G (2002). Comparison of the effects of intra-articular injections of Hyaluronan and its chemically cross-linked derivative (Hylan G-F20) in normal rabbit knee joints. Clin Exp Rheumatol 20, 445-454.

4. Goomer RS, Leslie K, Maris T, & Amiel D (2005). Native hyaluronan produces less hypersensitivity than cross-linked hyaluronan. Clin Orthop Relat Res 239-245.

SOURCE The National Senior Games Association