NexHA™, a low molecular weight hyaluronate sodium product for horses, has received approval from Health Canada’s Veterinary Drugs Directorate, and Bioniche expects to launch the product in the next several months.
NexHA™ is a specialized formulation of purified hyaluronate sodium that can be administered to horses by intravenous or intra-articular injection. It is indicated in the treatment of joint dysfunction of the carpus or fetlock in horses due to non-infectious synovitis associated with equine osteoarthritis.
Hyaluronate sodium acts as a replacement for synovial fluid, the naturally occurring lubricant in articular joints. Joint degeneration is associated with the loss of synovial fluid, and the lack of its lubricant effects results in considerable pain and inflammation for the horse.
The Company has been selling different formulations of sodium hyaluronate in Canada (I.A. only), Australia and New Zealand – as Enhance® – since 2001/02. Both Enhance® and NexHA™ are produced with a sodium hyaluronate solution that is obtained from a selective fermentation source using a manufacturing process that is free from thermal degrading effects.