SYNVISC®

SYNVISC is a gel-like mixture that is made up of hylan A fluid, hylan B gel, and salt water. Hylan A and hylan B are made from a substance called hyaluronan (pronounced hy-al-u-ROE-nan), also known as sodium hyaluronate that comes from chicken combs. Hyaluronan is a natural substance found in the body and is present in very high amounts in joints. The body’s own hyaluronan acts like a lubricant and a shock absorber in the joint and is needed for the joint to work properly. Osteoarthritis (pronounced os-TE-o-ar-THRI-tis) (OA) is a type of arthritis that involves the wearing down of cartilage (the protective covering on the ends of your bones). In OA, there may not be enough hyaluronan, and there may be a decrease in the quality of the hyaluronan in the joint. SYNVISC comes in syringes containing 2 mL (half a teaspoon) of product. SYNVISC is injected directly into your knee.

SYNVISC is indicated for the treatment of pain in osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee in patients who have failed to respond adequately to conservative nonpharmacologic therapy and simple analgesics, e.g., acetaminophen.

Synvisc (hylan G-F 20) is a sterile, nonpyrogenic, elastoviscous fluid containing hylans. Hylans are derivatives of hyaluronan (sodium salt of hyaluronic acid) and consist of repeating disaccharide units of N-acetylglucosamine and sodium glucuronate. Hylan A has an average molecular weight of approximately 6,000,000 daltons and hylan B is a hydrated gel. Hylan G-F 20 contains hylan A and hylan B (8.0 mg ± 2.0 mg per ml) in buffered physiological sodium chloride solution (pH 7.2 ± 0.3).

Contraindications

• Do not administer to patients with known hypersensitivity (allergy) to hyaluronan (sodium hyaluronate) preparations.
• Do not inject SYNVISC in the knees of patients having knee joint infections or skin diseases or infections in the area of the injection site.

After-care

• Avoid activities that put excessive strain on your knee, such as jogging, lifting, or prolonged standing for 48 hours following the injection. Please consult your doctor regarding the appropriate time to resume such activities.
• If you have any mild pain or swelling at the injection site, apply an ice pack on your knee as recommended by your doctor.
• The most common side effects seen with the SYNVISC® family are pain, swelling, heat, redness, and fluid buildup around the knee. Please consult your doctor if you have concerns, if your symptoms do not go away, and/or if you have other side-effects.