Ascension Healthcare plc Announces Positive Findings from Flexiseq User Experience Study

Ascension Healthcare plc

Announces Positive Findings from Flexiseq User Experience Study

~ New users of Flexiseq showed a significant improvement in joint health, mobility, and a reduction in their need for painkillers~

~ Ascension also announces launch of a Flexiseq 30g pack ~

LONDON, July 1, 2019 – Ascension Healthcare plc (“Ascension” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising innovative therapies for haemophilia and osteoarthritis, today announces positive findings from its Flexiseq User Experience Study.

A total of 60 people with mild to moderate osteoarthritis, who had never previously used Flexiseq, participated in the study.  Participants were asked to apply Flexiseq, a topical, drug-free gel formulated to support joint health to the affected joint twice a day for a month.  Findings demonstrated that after using Flexiseq for the duration for the study, participants reported improvements in their mobility and less severe pain. Participants also felt their overall joint health had improved by the end of the study and were able to reduce their dependency on traditional painkillers.

Key study findings

• 86% of participants agreed that Flexiseq helped improve their overall joint health.
• 84% of participants agreed that Flexiseq improved their joint mobility.
• 73% of participants reported they could go longer without taking pain relief.
• 48% of participants reported a reduction in the amount of painkillers taken.
• 82% of participants would definitely recommend Flexiseq to a friend.

Osteoarthritis is a growing problem in the UK and, according to a study conducted in 2018 by UK charity, Versus Arthritis, more than 8.75 million people in the UK have sought treatment for the effects of osteoarthritis¹. It is also reported that musculoskeletal ill-health (which includes both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis) cost the NHS £10.2 billion in 2018, a figure that is expected to rise in the coming years due to an increased senior population² .

Biresh Roy, Chief Executive Officer of Ascension, said: “These findings, gathered in a real-world setting, are impressive and clearly demonstrate that patients using Flexiseq for the first time are experiencing an improvement in their quality of life.  Tackling joint health and offering safer alternatives to painkillers is becoming increasingly relevant for our ageing population and, based on these findings, I believe Flexiseq has the potential to address both of these issues allowing people to enjoy their day-to-day lives without the pain and discomfort of osteoarthritis.”

In addition, Ascension has today announced the launch of its smaller Flexiseq 30g pack, dubbed the “handy pack”. Launched in response to strong demand for a “trial size” pack that can be used for smaller joints such as a finger or thumb.

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About Ascension Healthcare plc

Ascension Healthcare plc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercialising innovative therapies for the treatment of haemophilia and osteoarthritis.

The Company has three products in clinical or pre-clinical development for the treatment of Haemophilia A and also a range of internationally marketed products for osteoarthritis sufferers.  

For more information please visit: www.ascension.co.uk/

About Flexiseq

Flexiseq is a topical gel designed to support joint health and mobility. Unlike many topical gels for joint pain, Flexiseq is drug-free so can be used long-term by patients who are sensitive to, or cannot take, traditional pain medications.

Find out more by visiting: https://flexiseq.com/pages/about

¹ https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/12349/state-fo-msk-report-2018.pdf

² https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/12349/state-fo-msk-report-2018.pdf