As gold sponsors of this year's BASK conference, Contura Orthopaedics was delighted to be one of the pioneers of the event's inspiring "SILENT DISCO" style seminar
So, here, we take a quick look back at last month’s event (which took place at Manchester Central on 21-22 May), acknowledging BASK as a key fixture in Contura’s conference calendar.
Contura Orthopaedics Ltd – and our hero product, Arthrosamid® – has always enjoyed a popular and high-profile presence at the British Association for Surgery of the Knee (BASK) annual conference, and this year was no exception, with the team hosting a hugely engaging and well attended HIT seminar on Day 2 of the event, entitled; Pioneering, Proven, Pain Treatment – shifting the OA paradigm.
The meeting, which attracted over 90 delegates was Chaired by Mr. Raghbir Khakha, Consultant Orthopaedic & Specialist Knee Surgeon (Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust) who ‘kicked off’ the session with a warm welcome before introducing the first speaker, Mr. Chethan Jayadev (Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore)
Mr. Jayadev delivered a 7-minute presentation to the ‘sell out’ audience seated in the BASK 2024 Exhibition Hall (and to avoid noise interruption in this prestigious but busy venue, all delegates were provided with headphones to allow the event to run in the format of a ‘Silent Disco’!)
The key areas of discussion included:
The role of the synovium, the prevalence of synovial pain in all stages of knee OA, including referencing the most recent research papers in the area.
Mr. Khakha then continued the presentation with a short, follow up talk, addressing a range of key issues for those colleagues and associates in attendance, including:
How he manages synovial pain (synovitis) in patients with knee OA, Arthrosamid®, the first and only synovial scaffold administered via a single injectable for long lasting pain relief (including details of its mode of action and references to the most recent 3- year data1,2).
Following on from her successful BASK debut, last year, as Arthrosamid®’s brand ambassador, former Olympian and award-winning author and broadcaster, Sharron Davies MBE made a second ‘guest appearance’ at the conference, speaking directly and honestly to all delegates, talking through her own experience of being treated (with the single use hydrogel injection) for the pain associated with knee osteoarthritis and the difference that Arthrosamid® has made to the levels of discomfort and her overall quality of life.
Speaking of the impact of her treatment, Sharron told us:
“So….more than 18 months since my first and only Arthrosamid® injection for knee osteoarthritis (OA)…the pain relief is as good as it was within ten days of that injection, once it had settled in. I'm still walking the dogs, going to the gym three times a week, riding my bike, doing my squats and lunges and almost most importantly for me, I’m not sat at night in front of the TV rubbing my knee because it's aching so much.”
The best testimonial I can give is that I am so much less aware of my grade 4 knee arthritis.
For me I know Arthrosamid® has given me more time, before I need that inevitable knee replacement and its certainly reduced my pain, and for that I’m very grateful, especially whilst NHS waiting list continue to grow. To be happy I need to be very active, to keep mobile. My personal quality of life would be worse without Arthrosamid®.
The floor was then opened for further discussion, which saw a wide and varied range of questions posed to the panel, testament to the current levels of interest around Arthrosamid®.
CEO of Contura International Ltd, Rakesh Tailor, adds; “It was great to back at BASK again, taking part in such an interactive and well attended session, which really reflected the ongoing enthusiasm around Arthrosamid®.
“The calibre of questions posed to our expert panel and Contura team at BASK once more highlighted the current unmet need for innovative, non-invasive treatment options for knee osteoarthritis - in both the UK and globally – which is felt by both patients and physicians alike. However, there was real excitement and interest around new and emerging research which is truly forming the foundation of a robust, ‘game changing’ and evidence-based alternative to knee replacement surgery.
Rakesh adds; “Positive patient experience is at the heart of everything we do and is what inspires us to always push ourselves to ‘do better’ and to go the extra mile to ensure the eventual wider roll out of Arthrosamid to all those who need it.
“It was therefore a huge honour to welcome our Ambassador, Sharron Davies back to BASK for the second year running, generously sharing her story and helping to represent the 100s of patients who we know have also benefitted greatly from Arthrosamid.”
As part of Contura’s attendance at the 2-day conference, the team also met many delegates who visited the Arthrosamid® exhibitor’s stand throughout the event, where they were delighted to answer further questions about the product (including costs, availability and positive patient outcomes) as well as signposting those interested to published research, reinforcing the efficacy of Arthrosamid® and exciting long-term data.
Looking forward to continuing the conversation at BASK 2025!
Notes:
Contura is headquartered in London and has its manufacturing facility in Copenhagen, Denmark. It develops and manufactures innovative medical products in the fields of women’s health, orthopaedics and animal health using its unique, patented hydrogel technology.
Its hydrogel-based products are non-particulate and biocompatible, allowing for its non-absorbable, non-migratory and highly durable properties. For more information, visit www.contura.com
References:
1 Bliddal, H., et al. (2023) A Prospective Study of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: Results From 3 Years After Treatment. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. Vol 31(5): 682-683.
2 Bliddal, H., et al. (2024) 3-year follow-up from a randomized controlled trial of intra-articular polyacrylamide hydrogel injection in subjects with knee osteoarthritis. Poster LB-31, OARSI 2024 World Congress on Osteoarthritis.
