Biopolymers against knee pain

The insertion of an artificial knee joint is one of the most common operations worldwide. Patients often complain of discomfort for a long time after the procedure and are dependent on strong painkillers such as opioids during the acute phase as well as the subsequent recovery process. However, these painkillers have side effects, including a high risk of dependence. This is where the pain implants from the California startup Allay Therapeutics, in which Evonik has been investing since 2022, come into play. These coin-sized triangular implants are placed around the artificial knee joint at the conclusion of an operation. They don’t appear in X-ray images. Thanks to the novel structure of biodegradable polymers from Evonik and the use of an opioid-free local anesthetic, the implants relieve pain for up to three weeks and can subsequently be easily metabolized by the body.