Questions Your Patients Might Ask

You may have knee osteoarthritis if you experience one or more of the following common signs and symptoms:
• Joint soreness after overuse or inactivity
• Joint stiffness after resting or in the morning
• Pain when moving your knee
• Pain when using stairs or getting up from a chair
• Pain that prevents you from exercising your leg
• Grating or catching when moving your knee
• Joint pain that feels worse in the evening after a day's activity
• Deterioration of coordination due to pain and stiffness
• Weakened thigh muscles

To help with your diagnosis and treatment, be sure to mention these signs and symptoms at each doctor's appointment.

There are too many types of arthritis to list here. (For a complete list, go to arthritis.org.) Osteoarthritis, or OA, refers to the breakdown, or degeneration, of cartilage and fluid that cushion and lubricate the bones in your joints. Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint, but osteoarthritis of the knee is the most common type, affecting more than 10 million Americans. (1)

In knee osteoarthritis, the hyaluronic acid (HA) in the synovial fluid in your knee joint becomes diluted and breaks down—reducing its natural properties. (2) This is associated with increased inflammatory processes that can degrade the cartilage in your knee. (2) The inflammation causes pain receptors to begin firing during normal movement. (2) The pain tends to cause knee osteoarthritis patients to limit movement, which in turn leads to further deterioration of joint structures and synovial fluid quality because movement is required for normal synovial homeostasis.

No, there are different classes of injectable therapies that may be used to treat osteoarthritis in your knee. For example, steroids (such as cortisone) will help relieve pain and swelling temporarily. And opioids (such as morphine) are a class of drug with a very strong analgesic (pain-killing) effect. On the other hand, viscosupplements like SUPARTZ are designed to replace the diseased synovial fluid in your knee joint, which provides cushioning and lubrication.

SUPARTZ, also called a viscosupplement, is a non-surgical, non-pharmacologic therapy for knee osteoarthritis. SUPARTZ can help relieve your knee pain, improve your mobility, and get you back to your normal activities.

• Proven pain relief across multiple clinical studies (3,4)
• As safe as saline in clinical studies (3,5)
• More than 280 million SUPARTZ injections administered worldwide (6)
• 3 or 5 injections so you only receive the number of shots that your doctor recommends

No drug or surgery is involved in SUPARTZ (other than a local anesthetic to numb your knee). You can schedule SUPARTZ treatments just as you would any other office visit. The whole procedure only takes a few minutes. Your doctor may advise you to avoid strenuous activities for a few days after your injections.

SUPARTZ treats knee osteoarthritis by temporarily replacing the diseased synovial fluid in your knee, which is an underlying cause of your pain. (2) Unlike oral analgesics or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that affect all parts of your body, SUPARTZ specifically targets the osteoarthritis pain in your knee.

In clinical studies, adverse events were no more common following SUPARTZ than following saline placebo. (3,5) In fact, more people discontinued treatment with saline placebo than those who received SUPARTZ therapy. (5) Pseudoseptic (acute inflammatory) reactions have NOT been reported in 20 prospective randomized controlled trials of SUPARTZ. (7)*

*Does not include current prescribing experience.

SUPARTZ may be the right treatment for you if:

1. Your knee pain is due to osteoarthritis
2. You are not getting adequate osteoarthritis knee pain relief from walking and/or physical therapy
3. You are not getting adequate osteoarthritis knee pain relief from pain medications, including:
   • Ibuprofen (e.g., Advil^®)
   • Acetaminophen (e.g., Tylenol^®)
   • Naproxen sodium (e.g., Aleve^®)

SUPARTZ is covered by Medicare and many private insurance plans for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis pain. Private plan coverage may be determined prior to initiating SUPARTZ therapy by calling the plan directly or by calling SUPARTZ Direct at 1-800-417-5675.

Most patients experience little or no discomfort during the injection. (8) If you're concerned about the injection, we can discuss ways to reduce any mild pain that may occur.