CARTICEL is the only treatment that uses a patient’s own cells to repair cartilage injuries in the knee. CARTICEL is implanted in a surgical procedure called autologous chondrocyte implantation or ACI. The implanted cells can form new hyaline-like cartilage, with properties similar to normal cartilage which may reduce pain and improve knee function.
If your previous knee cartilage repair procedure failed to provide adequate pain relief, CARTICEL may be the solution. Results from a large, four-year study demonstrated that CARTICEL may reduce knee pain and improve daily and sports activities.
About CARTICEL
CARTICEL is a biologic product used to repair articular cartilage injuries of the knee in adults who have not responded to a prior arthroscopic or other surgical repair procedure. It uses your body’s own cultured cells to form new hyaline-like cartilage in your knee following a surgical procedure called autologous chrondrocyte implantation (ACI). CARTICEL is the name of the cells that are grown from the samples (or biopsy) taken from your knee. When implanted into a knee cartilage injury, these cells can form new hyaline-like cartilage.
CARTICEL is the first biologic product to repair articular cartilage injuries in the knee. In 1997, it became the only FDA-approved autologous cultured chondrocyte product on the market in the United States. CARTICEL is a product of Genzyme, a company with more than a decade of experience in developing and manufacturing autologous cell therapy products.
CARTICEL Facts
- CARTICEL is the only FDA approved treatment that uses your own cultured cells to treat the damaged articular cartilage in your knee.
- CARTICEL may not only repair your injury, it may help relieve your knee pain and improve your daily activities.
- CARTICEL has been proven effective in many patients for whom other surgical repair procedures have proven unsatisfactory.
- When CARTICEL is surgically implanted into a cartilage injury, it can form new hyaline-like cartilage, with properties similar to those of the original cartilage. Repairing the injury may help to reduce pain and may improve movement and function.
- CARTICEL does not damage your underlying bone.
- CARTICEL poses little risk of disease transmission to you since it comes from your own tissue.
For more information regarding CARTICEL, including a personal online assessment, please visit www.carticel.com.
