A new clinical trial has produced evidence that VIA Disc, a blend of bone marrow cells and ground-up spinal disc tissue from donors, may offer long-term relief from low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. In the trial, 60% of patients who received the injection experienced a 50% or better improvement in their pain three years after treatment, with more than 70% having over a 20-point improvement in movement and function. The results of the study, which was funded by VIVEX Biologics, maker of VIA Disc, were presented on Monday at a meeting of the Society for Interventional Radiology in Phoenix.
Dr. Douglas Beall, chief of radiology at Clinical Radiology of Oklahoma in Edmond, and lead researcher, said the injection of VIA Disc encourages cells within a damaged disc to regenerate with healthy tissue, and that there were no persistent significant adverse effects. In the trial, 218 patients were randomly injected with either VIA Disc or a saline solution as a control group. After one year, the VIA Disc patients had a peak 56% improvement in their pain and function compared with a 45% improvement in the saline patients.
Dr. Stanley Golovac, an interventional pain specialist and chief medical officer for Healent.com, said “This allograft treatment is an important advancement in how we treat this disease because it offers patients lasting improvement both in chronic low back pain and in their quality of life.” VIA Disc is currently being evaluated for approval as a biologic product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
A recent clinical trial has provided evidence that VIA Disc, a blend of bone marrow cells and ground-up spinal disc tissue from donors, could be an effective treatment for low back pain caused by degenerative disc disease. The trial involved 218 patients, with 60% of those who received the injection experiencing a 50% or better improvement in their pain three years after treatment, and more than 70% having over a 20-point improvement in movement and function. The injection encourages cells within a damaged disc to regenerate with healthy tissue, and according to lead researcher Dr. Douglas Beall, there were no persistent significant adverse effects. VIA Disc is currently being evaluated for approval as a biologic product by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Stanley Golovac, an interventional pain specialist and chief medical officer for Healent.com, said “This allograft treatment is an important advancement in how we treat this disease because it offers patients lasting improvement both in chronic low back pain and in their quality of life.”