Flexion Therapeutics, Inc., based in Burlington, Massachusetts, has announced the full commercial launch of Zilretta (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release injectable suspension), for use in managing the pain of knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Flexion: Full Zilretta Launch
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“We have assembled a remarkable team of Musculoskeletal Business Managers, and last week they concluded their training at the Zilretta national launch meeting,” said Michael Clayman, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Flexion, in the November 20, 2017 news release.
“We have already begun the process of informing and educating physicians about the important role Zilretta can play in the management of OA knee pain. With its extended-release microsphere formulation, we believe Zilretta holds the potential to disrupt the current treatment paradigm, and we are thrilled that it is now broadly available for the millions of Americans confronting this relentless disease.”
Dr. Clayman told OTW, “Most importantly, I’m excited about what Zilretta means for patients.”
“Its availability comes at a time when our society is in urgent need of innovative, non-opioid alternatives to help the millions of Americans confronting the inexorable pain associated with chronic OA of the knee.”
“With respect to the launch specifically, I have been thoroughly impressed by the caliber of the sales professionals we’ve attracted to Flexion. We had more than 5,000 applicants for 103 Musculoskeletal Business Manager positions, and as a result, we’ve been able to hire some of the most experienced, successful and passionate professionals in the industry. Additionally, I think the fact that we have been able to launch Zilretta so quickly after approval, with all of our support services fully in place, speaks volumes about the hard work, planning and preparation we’ve put into every aspect of our commercial strategy.”
“All of our sales reps, also known as Musculoskeletal Business Managers (MBMs), went through a comprehensive training program which began with several weeks of home study. That started as soon they joined the company, and it was followed by regional meetings and concluded with a weeklong national sales meeting, during which the MBMs went through extensive live training sessions. Each MBM passed various certifications showing they possess the requisite competencies to speak to, educate and inform healthcare providers about Zilretta in a compliant manner. Our entire field force is now fully deployed across the country, and they’ve hit the ground running.”
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This is a fascinating development. In my practice we've seen similar outcomes with the revised protocol. The key differentiator seems to be patient selection criteria. Has anyone else noticed the correlation with BMI thresholds?
Great point. I'd push back slightly on the conclusion, the sample size in the cited study is too small to draw population-level inferences. That said, the directional signal is compelling and worth a larger RCT.
We implemented a similar approach last year. Early results are promising but we're still gathering 12-month follow-up data. Happy to share our protocol if anyone is interested.
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