Its products--including Synvisc, which is injected into the knee to treat osteoarthritis, and Hylaform, which corrects facial wrinkles--are all based on a single chemical called hyaluronan.
Investigators at seven universities and orthopedic surgery centers in the US studied 351 patients aged 45 years or older who had a meniscal tear and mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis of the knee.