Cellontech's 'Catipil' Confirms Treatment Effectiveness in Elderly Patients... "Expanding Market"

Cellontech, a subsidiary of SCN Engineering, is seeking to expand the use of the joint cartilage regeneration treatment medical device ‘CartiFill’ to elderly patients with degenerative arthritis.

Cellontech, a bio company specializing in regenerative medicine, announced on the 31st that clinical research led by Professor Mansu Kim of the Department of Orthopedics at The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital confirmed the therapeutic efficacy of CartiFill for patients over 50 years old with joint cartilage defects.

CartiFill is a ‘tissue repair biomaterial’ that helps position cartilage cells and bone marrow cells during improved microfracture surgery. It is the first gel-type joint cartilage regeneration treatment medical device developed in Korea using Cellontech’s proprietary bio-collagen as a raw material, and received approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2013. It was also recognized as a treatment material corresponding to new medical technology announced by the Korea Health Industry Development Institute under the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2013.

Thanks to the competitive gel-type formulation, CartiFill is injected to fit various shapes and sizes of the patient’s joint cartilage defect area, perfectly filling the edges of the lesion to induce more effective tissue regeneration. Additionally, it allows for a simple procedure using arthroscopy instead of open surgery, promoting faster recovery for patients and convenience for medical staff.

This clinical study was conducted by dividing a total of 92 patients with knee joint cartilage defects into three groups. The groups included patients over 50 and under 50 who underwent microfracture surgery using CartiFill, and patients over 50 who underwent microfracture surgery only. They were followed up for two years, and differences were closely evaluated through analysis of ▲Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) ▲functional, pain, and quality of life assessment index (KOOS) ▲Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) ▲Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) evaluation score (MOCART).

As a result, the patient groups using CartiFill showed clinical improvement effects and qualitative enhancement of the regenerated cartilage regardless of whether they were over or under 50 years old.

Professor Mansu Kim of the Department of Orthopedics at The Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital explained, “Microfracture surgery using CartiFill is an effective procedure for joint cartilage regeneration treatment regardless of the patient’s age. In particular, the quality of cartilage restored using CartiFill was found to be superior compared to the group that underwent microfracture surgery alone.”

A Cellontech official stated, “Currently, CartiFill is used for patients under 50 according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) notification, but through this clinical study, we have secured the necessary clinical references to expand the market to elderly patient groups. We are applying for a deferral of the new medical technology evaluation for the age expansion over 50 and are promoting early market expansion.”

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