BioSenic announced the filing of a U.S. patent for JTA-004, a viscosupplement in late-stage clinical development, following new evidence of its efficacy in a recently defined subtype of osteoarthritis (OA). There are several types of OA. In 2022, outside investigators published findings that defined three subtypes based on biomarkers - including a severe form marked by high levels of pain, of certain biomarkers and persistent and progressive inflammation.

The rights were initially acquired from Bone Therapeutics following a reverse merger with Medsenic SAS to form BioSenic. As BioSenic develops a new clinical plan, this position will support steps toward commercializing JTA-004 for patients experiencing severe pain from knee OA. JTA-004 differs from other hyaluronic acid-based products for OA in its inclusion of clonidine, an alpha-2 adrenergic inhibitor, as an active pharmacological component.

Its analgesic properties have been known for decades, and more recent data has demonstrated prolonged local anti-inflammatory activity, as well as a normalizing effect on cell differentiation of chondrocytes. New findings publishedii this month in Nature further connect chondrocytes to degeneration in knee OA, providing further potential explanation for JTA-004's positive clinical results in reducing symptoms of pain and inflammation in severe cases.