A pilot study to compare two different hyaluronic acid compounds for treatment of knee osteoarthritis.

20 patients with bilateral knee osteoarthritis were administered two intraarticular injections of Variofill in the right knee and two intraarticular injections of Hylan G-F 20 in the left knee. Patients were assessed for treatment response on a Visual Analog Scale for pain and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) after 3 and 6 months. Comparative efficacy was assessed using percent improvement from baseline after 6 months. Results demonstrated significantly greater improvement for VAS pain, WOMAC Pain, and WOMAC Function scores in the Variofill group compared to the Hylan G-F 20 group, with no significant differences between groups in improvement in WOMAC Stiffness.