2026 AAHKS Annual Meeting: A Novel Nerve Selective Therapy is Superior to Intraarticular Corticosteroid for Knee Osteoarthritis

265 patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) were randomized to receive BXT-786 (Reneurx), a novel nerve-selective biomaterial, or intraarticular corticosteroid injections (IACS). The primary outcomes of interest were knee pain, assessed using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), and knee function, assessed using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score for Joint Replacement (KOOS-JR). Secondary outcomes included pain responder rates, treatment effectiveness across disease severity and body mass index (BMI) subgroups, and adverse events. Outcomes were assessed up to 6 months. Overall, the results revealed that BXT-786 produced significantly higher pain responder rates at 3 and 6 months, with greater functional improvement at 6 months compared to IACS. These findings suggested that BXT-786 may provide more sustained pain relief and improved function than corticosteroid injections for patients with knee OA.