Olympic great named as new ambassador for medical device innovator Contura Orthopaedics Ltd

London, UK: November 2022 Contura International Ltd is delighted to announce that ex-Olympic swimmer, world-renowned broadcaster and one of ITV’s former‘ Gladiators’, Sharron Davies MBE has joined the team as an Ambassador for Arthrosamid®, the novel injectable treatment for knee osteoarthritis.

The 12-month partnership will see Sharron updating her 153.9K Twitter followers on her journey to combat persistent and uncomfortable knee pain through her recent treatment with single-injection hydrogel treatment Arthrosamid®. A patient education film featuring Sharron has also been commissioned and is now available to view at arthrosamid.com

Sharron is a well-known advocate for the benefits of an active, balanced lifestyle – combining her love of exercise, with a busy family life. In her own fitness regime, as well as working with clients online and one-to-one, Sharron promotes exercise programmes that encourage mobility, strength and confidence.

Naturally, Sharron, who has just turned 60, has encountered injuries along the way and feels that her earlier intensive training has certainly taken its toll on her joints. Over the years, the stiffness and pain in her right knee has increased to Grade 4 arthritis, further exacerbated after ‘snapping’ her ACL and reconstruction surgery whilst filming Gladiators. Frustratingly, it affects her ability to exercise comfortably and enjoy her day-to-day activities.

So, she was delighted when her orthopaedic consultant, Professor Paul Lee, of MSK Doctors, suggested she would be eligible for a pioneering and non-invasive treatment for knee osteoarthritis which could offer long-lasting pain relief and could delay the need for surgery. Developed using therapeutic hydrogels, Arthrosamid^®, offers an alternative to current therapies and fulfils an unmet clinical need for an effective, long-acting, safe and minimally invasive treatment to alleviate pain associated with knee osteoarthritis (OA), delaying the need for invasive knee replacement surgery.

Consisting of 2.5% cross-linked polyacrylamide and 97.5% non-pyrogenic water, a single 6ml dose of Arthrosamid® is injected into the joint space, becoming embedded in the synovial membrane¹ and, can relieve pain in one single treatment². Patients can expect to see improved mobility and pain relief within a few weeks² Interestingly, the development of Arthrosamid® followed impressive clinical data with Arthramid® Vet, a related product of the company, in the treatment of lameness in horses.

Since having the single dose injection in September 2022, Sharron’s recovery has been swift and positive. Almost immediately, she reported “moving with reduced pain” and had gained an increased range which was also confirmed on a subsequent visit to see Dr. Lee.

Sharron Davies MBE, Ambassador for Arthrosamid® says:

“I’ve had more than 40 years of training, and competed in the world’s biggest competition, and so I know what’s required to help maintain a healthy body and mind. Throughout my life I’ve continued to fuel my passion for health and fitness – with a varied programme including weight training, strength and conditioning, cycling, horse riding and dog walking. A few years back I also suffered a serious accident. Recovery was slow and despite returning to full fitness, I continued to have problems with stiffness and pain in my right knee. Being offered this injection has been great, as much for my mental wellbeing as physically - as sport and fitness is such an important part of my life. I couldn’t believe how quick the procedure was, with very little discomfort and limited downtime. I was able to drive immediately. Pain can be really draining emotionally. Now, thanks to Arthrosamid®, I feel more able to do the things I love with less pain. I’m very glad I gave it a try”.

Rakesh Tailor, CEO of Contura International Ltd comments:

“It’s an absolute honor to be working with Sharron – an indisputable legend in terms of her incredible sporting achievements, as well as her stellar broadcasting career. Sharron’s passion to find a solution to her knee problems, which had previously been causing her discomfort on a daily basis, will serve as inspiration to the millions of people in the UK who are currently experiencing similar issues with joint pain. Her drive to seek a treatment option which allows her to manage her condition and continue a healthy and active lifestyle is totally aligned to our mission and values at Contura. We very much look forward to working with Sharron over the next year as an Ambassador for Arthrosamid®, as well as learning more about her journey to recovery.”

About Contura

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 contura.com.

New data (first released at the Annual Congress of OA Research International, OARSI, in April 2022) highlights impressive 2-year results, showing that a single injection of Arthrosamid® continued to be “well-tolerated and demonstrated clinically relevant and statistically significant effectiveness in reducing pain, at 2 years after treatment”³ In all trials to date, Arthrosamid® has been shown to have no serious adverse events with any device-related events mild and transient in nature⁴. A growing number of anecdotal cases in Denmark report many patients, 5-8 years out from treatment are still pain-free.

^References:

^{1. Christensen, L., et al. (2016). “Synovial incorporation of polyacrylamide hydrogel after injection into normal and osteoarthritic animal joints.” Osteoarthritis and cartilage vol.24, 11:1999-2002. DOI:10.1016/j.joca.2016.07.007.}

^{2. Bliddal, H., et al. (2021). Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: A 6 Months Prospective Study. J Orthop Res Ther. 6(2). 1188. ISSN 2575-8241.}

^{3. Bliddal, H., et al. (2022). A Prospective Study of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: Results From 2 Years After Treatment. Poster presented at OARSI 2022. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Vol.30, Supplement 1, S371-S372. DOI:10.1016/j.joca.2022.02.499.}

^{4. Overgaard, A., et al. (2019). Safety of intra-articular polyacrylamide hydrogel for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis symptoms: A retrospective case series. Clin Ortho Adv Res. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Vol.30, Supplement 1, S370-S371. DOI:10.1016/j.joca.2022.02.497.}

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