Performance and Safety of HyalganBio® Intra-Articular Injections as Add-On to Physical Exercise for Symptomatic Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis

A Post-market, Randomized, Controlled, Clinical Investigation to Assess the Performance and Safety of HyalganBio® Intra-articular Injections, as add-on Physical Exercise Program, in the Symptomatic Relief of Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis

This investigation evaluates performance and safety of three intra-articular injections of HyalganBio®, combined with a Physical Exercise Program (PEP) in subjects with glenohumeral osteoarthritis. The main goal is to see whether patients improve shoulder function six months after the first injection, compared with patients who only follow the exercise program. Improvement is measured using the Constant-Murley Score (CMS).

Participants first attend a screening visit and, if they meet all criteria, they are enrolled. Within 14 days, they are randomly assigned to one of two groups: group 1 receives three weekly HyalganBio® injections and performs the PEP three times a week for 60 days, recording adherence in a diary; group 2: performs the same PEP schedule and also records adherence in a diary.

Follow-up visits take place at 2, 4, and 6 months after the first injection, with additional telephone check-ins at 1 and 3 months.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis
• Intervention / Treatment: Device: Hyaluronic acid plus Physical Exercise Program (PEP)

Detailed Description

This post-market, multicenter, randomized, controlled, open-label clinical investigation aims to evaluate the performance and safety of three intra-articular (IA) injections of HyalganBio® combined with a Physical Exercise Program (PEP) in patients with symptomatic glenohumeral osteoarthritis.

The primary objective is to assess the overall functional clinical improvement at 6 months after the first injection (V1), as measured by the Constant-Murley Score (CMS), comparing HyalganBio® + PEP versus PEP alone.

Eligible subjects are screened at Visit 0 (V0) after signing informed consent. If all inclusion and exclusion criteria are met, enrollment occurs and V0 may coincide with the baseline visit (V1). At V1, within 14 days from screening, participants are randomized 1:1. Group 1 receives three weekly IA injections of HyalganBio® (at V1, V2, V3) and is trained to perform a PEP three times per week for 60 days, recording adherence in a patient diary. Group 2 (control) is trained to perform the same PEP schedule and also reports adherence in a diary. Follow-up visits are planned at 2, 4, and 6 months after V1, with telephone contacts at 1 and 3 months.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 72
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Italy
  • Torino, Italy
    • Ospedale Le Molinette
  • Italy
    • Milan, Italy, Italy
      • IRCCS Ospedale Galeazzi
    • Naples, Italy, Italy
      • Ospedale Cardarelli
    • Roma, Italy, Italy
      • Ospedale Concordia
    • Roma, Italy, Italy
      • Policlinico Universitario Campus Biomedico
    • Torino, Italy, Italy
      • Ospedale Le Molinette

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female subjects aged ≥ 45 years and ≤ 85 years.
2. Samilson Prieto Grade 1 to 3 of glenohumeral joint confirmed by a X-ray performed in the 6 months before the screening visit (or at the screening if not available in the past 6 months).

3. Patient suffering from glenohumeral arthrosis with chronic shoulder pain. Chronic shoulder pain is defined as follows:

   • Patient who has persistent pain for a period of at least 6 months, but not exceeding 5 years; or
   • Pain perceived by the patient with a frequency of at least 50% of the days in the month preceding the screening visit.
4. Presence of pain on movement, in the target shoulder, measured by VAS with a score > 40 mm.
5. VAS for pain in the contralateral shoulder of at least 10 mm less than the target joint.
6. Willingness to discontinue oral and topical analgesics including NSAIDs if taken before study inclusion except for assumption of rescue medication (paracetamol) at a maximum dose of 6 tablets of 500 mg a day.
7. Patient willing to sign and able to understand the Informed Consent form.
8. If female of childbearing potential, must have a negative pregnancy test at screening and agree to use a reliable method of contraception throughout the investigation*.

Note: To be considered of non-childbearing potential, females must be surgically sterile or postmenopausal for at least 1 year.

*Highly effective birth control methods include: combined hormonal contraception (containing estrogen and progestogen) associated with inhibition of ovulation (oral, intravaginal, transdermal); progestogen-only hormonal contraception associated with inhibition of ovulation (oral, injectable, implantable); intrauterine device (IUD); intrauterine hormone-releasing system (IUS); bilateral tubal occlusion; vasectomised partner; sexual abstinence.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Presence, at clinical evaluation, of adhesive capsulitis.
2. Presence of rotator cuff injury (Massive Rotator Cuff Tears).
3. Signs, evident on X-ray of the shoulder, of recent fractures, intense loss of bone density and/or severe deformity.
4. Diagnosis of major calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition (CPPD) or shoulder chondrocalcinosis disease.
5. Presence of pathology of the cervical vertebrae (capable of altering the clinical evaluation) which, in the three months preceding the screening visit, was symptomatic and required active treatment.
6. Presence of any active musculoskeletal disease capable of altering the diagnosis/assessment of the shoulder with pain or presence of pain of any neurological aetiology and acute shoulder infection.
7. Presence of major surgery in arthroscopy in the shoulder under investigation in the 6 months prior to the screening and/or need to plan it.
8. Patient undergoing local radiotherapy for breast cancer.
9. Patient with rheumatic polymyalgia.
10. Patient with diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2 insulin-dependent).
11. Active skin cancer (except basal cell carcinoma) or history of skin cancer in the past two years.
12. Presence of infection and/or skin pathologies in the injection area.
13. Presence of severe gastrointestinal, renal, hepatic, pulmonary, cardiovascular, neurological, immunological or other pathologies that can interfere with the results of the investigation or inability of the patient to comply with the requirements of the investigation.
14. Known allergy or suspected allergic reaction to hyaluronate.
15. Pharmaceutical products taken orally and containing glucosamine and/or chondroitin sulfate and/or diacerin (eg. Chondrosulf, Structum 500, Dona, Viatril, Fisiodar, Artrodar etc.) in the month prior to the screening visit, unless the dosage was stable for the two months prior to the screening visit.
16. Intra-articular corticosteroid injections into the shoulder under investigation in the three months prior to the screening visit.
17. Taking oral corticosteroids in the month prior to the screening visit (only inhaled corticosteroids are allowed and chronic oral therapies with daily intake below 7,5 mg).
18. Subjects with a history of chronic or recurrent use of NSAIDs/analgesics/narcotics because of diseases different from GH OA.
19. Previous use of HA in the shoulder under investigation in the 6 months prior to the screening visit.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: HyalganBio® plus Physical Exercise Program (PEP); 3 weekly intrarticular injections of HyalganBio® hyaluronic acid 20 mg/2 mL, supplied as a pre-filled syringe plus Physical exercise program (PEP) for 3 days a week for a period of 60 days.	Device: Hyaluronic acid plus Physical Exercise Program (PEP); 3 weekly intrarticular injections of HyalganBio® in a concentration of HA 2% (20 mg/2 mL) and PEP.
No Intervention: Physical Exercise Program (PEP); Physical exercise program (PEP) for 3 days a week for a period of 60 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Performance of three intra-articular (IA) injections of HyalganBio® plus Physical Exercise Program (PEP), in terms of overall clinical functional assessment on movement.	The primary outcome of the investigation is the change of the total Constant Murley Score (CMS), a 100-point clinical scoring system. Total score evaluates four main components: A- Pain, B- Activities of daily living, C- Range of movement, D- Power each contributing a specific portion of the total score. Pain accounts for 15 points, daily activities for 20, range of motion for 40 and Power for 25.	6 months from baseline.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Clinical functional assessment on movement.	Clinical functional assessment on movement measured by means of the CMS subscores C (range of movement) accounts for 40 points. A higher score reflects better function.	2, 4 and 6 months from baseline.
Clinical functional assessment on movement.	Clinical functional assessment on movement measured by means of the CMS total score. Total Constant Murley Score (CMS), a 100-point clinical scoring system. Total score evaluates four main components: A- Pain, B- Activities of daily living, C- Range of movement, D- Power each contributing a specific portion of the total score. Pain accounts for 15 points, daily activities for 20, range of motion for 40 and Power for 25.	2 and 4 months from baseline.
Pain reduction	Pain reduction in the target shoulder with a 0-100 mm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), 0 mm=absence of pain; 100 mm = intollerable pain.	2, 4 and 6 months from baseline.
Changes of physical function	Changes of physical function in the target shoulder, evaluated by Disability of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH). The questionnaire is a 30-item questionnaire that looks at the ability of a patient to perform certain upper extremity activities. Each item is scored on a five-points scale (one to five). The overall DASH score, is summed (possible values: 30-150). The higher is the score the greater is the patient's experience of disability/symptoms.	2, 4 and 6 months compared to baseline.
Changes of patient's quality of life.	Changes of patient's quality of life, evaluated by administration of the EuroQol 5-Dimension Questionnaire, (EQ-5D-5L).The descriptive system comprises 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression), each dimension having 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems, and extreme problems.	2, 4 and 6 months compared to baseline (V1).
Rescue medication consumption	Rescue medication consumption for shoulder pain reported by the patient in a Patient's Diary. The number and percentage of patients who will take at least one dose of rescue medication up to 6 months from baseline (V1) will be analyzed.	From baseline to the end of the study at 6 months.
Changes of Clinical Observer Global Assessment (COGA)	Changes of COGA evaluated directly by the Investigator with a 0-100 mm VAS, in the target shoulder. 0= not at all and 100= extremely.	2, 4 and 6 months compared to baseline
Number of Participants with treatment-emergent adverse events.	Safety of HyalganBio® will be evaluated in terms of incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).	From baseline to the end of the study at 6 months.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Fidia Farmaceutici s.p.a.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): July 12, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 3, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 3, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): April 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): April 16, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 13, 2026
• Last Verified: April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: hyaluronic acid; Glenohumeral Osteoarthritis; physical Exercise Program (PEP)
• Other Study ID Numbers: EQP5-23-02

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No