Press Releases

American College of Sports Medicine to Hear Results of Study at Annual Meeting

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 30, 2003-- A topical cream composed of cetylated fatty acids (CFA) can improve quality of life and mobility in patients with osteoarthritis, according to a study conducted by the University of Connecticut and Imagenetix (OTCBB:IAGX - News), and slated for presentation today at the 50th annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) at Moscone Center in San Francisco.

" The scientific findings are very encouraging," said William Kraemer, Ph.D., who will present the results of the study at the ACSM meeting during a panel presentation Saturday, May 31, from 1-2:30 p.m. A poster session will take place today from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Kraemer is a professor and director of research for the Human Performance Laboratory at the University of Connecticut, which conducted the clinical study in cooperation with San Diego-based Imagenetix.

"Osteoarthritis typically is treated using nonsteroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs. These findings show that a topical cream using CFA can be a viable alternative," Kraemer said.

"We are excited by the benefit provided by our topical cream in this unique research design conducted at the University of Connecticut," said Robert Hesslink, Jr., Sc.D., Imagenetix director of research and development and a co-author of the study. "Our findings indicate that persons who suffer with arthritis pain, and who live with tremendous mobility restrictions, can benefit dramatically from a topical treatment with no reported side effects."

The study involved 42 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee who received either a topical treatment with a proprietary complex of cetylated fatty acids or a placebo. The patients were evaluated at baseline, then 30 minutes after their initial treatment with the topical cream, and following a 30-day treatment period in which the cream was applied twice each day.

Patients were assessed for physical function, postural sway, pain and range of motion. Tests of physical function included an assessment for timed up-and-go from a chair, timed stair climbing, medial step-down test to assess muscle strength and endurance, and single-leg anterior reach. For all of these measures, the difference between the CFA group and the placebo group was significant.

In tests 30 minutes after initial application and again after 30 days of treatment, patients treated with the topical cream experienced reduced pain and stiffness, along with an improvement in supine range of motion of the knee. They also had significantly less standing postural sway and significant reductions in time in both the up-and-go test and the timed stair climbing. In addition, the CFA group achieved greater benefits after 30 days than in the first 30 minutes, indicating a cumulative effect for the cream.

"What makes this study compelling is that this cream is not in a developmental stage; it is already available in the marketplace. Both clinical and anecdotal evidence thus far have been very positive," said William Spencer, president and CEO of Imagenetix Inc.