Is Arthrosamid available on the NHS?

Arthrosamid is not available on the NHS. That is the short, unambiguous answer for any patient currently researching their options.

The confusion often arises because the treatment is CE-marked and fully licensed for use in the UK — but licensing and NHS commissioning are two separate decisions. A CE mark confirms that a device meets regulatory safety standards; it does not mean the NHS has agreed to fund or prescribe it. That funding decision sits with NICE.

NICE evaluated Arthrosamid under its technology prioritisation process (reference GID-MT606) and decided it was 'not selected' for Health Technology Evaluation guidance. The reason given was insufficient evidence — specifically, that the current data do not yet demonstrate consistent clinical benefit at a population level or rule out long-term risks to the NHS's satisfaction. This is a practical evidence-gap judgement, not a safety condemnation; it leaves open the possibility that a stronger long-term evidence base could prompt NICE to reconsider in future.

Accessing Arthrosamid in the UK currently means self-funding through a private clinic. What that costs, and whether private health insurance may help, is covered in the sections below.

Why NICE declined to take it further

'Insufficient evidence' has a specific meaning in NICE's framework. The panel is not assessing whether a treatment has ever helped an individual patient; it is asking whether the data are mature and broad enough to justify recommending it across an entire health system — reliably, safely, over the long term. Arthrosamid has not yet cleared that threshold.

The concern is specifically the absence of robust long-term follow-up data at a population level. Promising results from clinical studies exist, but NICE requires evidence that tracks outcomes across a wide enough patient population over a longer horizon before commissioning. That is a data-maturity judgement, not a verdict on individual safety or efficacy.

To understand why researchers are actively investigating Arthrosamid as an alternative, it helps to consider what the NHS currently offers. The only intra-articular injection within the NHS knee osteoarthritis pathway is corticosteroid — a treatment whose benefit typically peaks before six months and which, in a landmark 2017 JAMA randomised controlled trial by McAlindon and colleagues, was associated with progressive cartilage-volume loss when used repeatedly. Arthrosamid's potential as a longer-lasting, non-destructive option explains why the research interest is substantive rather than incidental.

NHS commissioning will not shift until NICE revisits the question with a stronger evidence base. Studies of this type typically require five to ten years of follow-up data to credibly address the long-term safety and efficacy questions the panel has identified — which gives a realistic, if approximate, sense of the timescale patients and researchers are working within.

The NHS research strand — and what patients should read into it

A study at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (RJAH) in Shropshire set out to investigate the biological mechanisms by which Arthrosamid acts when used in a UK NHS patient population. Funded by a Contura Orthopaedics research grant of over £150,000, the project was one of the few formal explorations of how the hydrogel works at a biological level in a real-world NHS setting.

Recruitment to this study is now closed. That phrase has a specific meaning: data collection is complete, but that is not the same as results being published, peer-reviewed, or placed before NICE. The journey from a closed trial to a NICE technology evaluation typically involves publication, independent scrutiny, and a regulatory pipeline that can run to several years.

This research is a meaningful contribution to the evidence base that NICE identified as insufficient — and that is genuinely encouraging for the longer-term picture. What it does not do is shorten the commissioning timeline in any predictable way. Patients considering treatment should make their decision based on what is currently accessible, rather than waiting for an NHS route that has no confirmed or announced timeline.

How private access actually works

Private access to Arthrosamid is available across the UK, ranging from specialist orthopaedic units and sports-medicine clinics to the private wings of NHS teaching hospitals — Imperial Private Healthcare, for instance, offers the treatment alongside its NHS trauma and orthopaedics service. This breadth of provision means most patients can find a suitably qualified clinic within reasonable travelling distance.

At independent private clinics, including MSK Doctors, patients can book directly without a GP referral and without the waiting times associated with NHS outpatient departments. The treatment itself is delivered as an ultrasound-guided intra-articular injection during a single outpatient appointment — there is no theatre booking, no general anaesthetic, and no surgical wound to recover from. Because Arthrosamid is designed as a single-injection treatment, the clinical episode is typically complete in one visit.

What to check before booking

The pathway is straightforward, but two practical questions are worth asking any prospective clinic. First, confirm that the injection will be performed under imaging guidance — ultrasound-guided placement is the standard for intra-articular PAAG and matters both for accuracy and for minimising risk. Second, ask about the treating clinician's experience specifically with intra-articular polyacrylamide hydrogel; it is a different product from viscosupplementation or corticosteroid, and familiarity with its handling and post-injection monitoring is relevant. A CQC-registered clinic with consultant-led governance and documented injection caseload is a reasonable baseline to look for.

What Arthrosamid costs as a self-funding patient

For patients outside London and the South East, the regional guide cost for a single-knee Arthrosamid injection typically falls in the range of approximately £1,300 to £1,700, with centres in areas such as Manchester and Birmingham generally quoting £1,500 to £2,000. Scottish private clinics tend to sit in the £1,600 to £2,500 bracket. London and South East pricing is meaningfully higher — an approximate guide range of £2,000 to £3,500 per knee reflects the concentration of specialist demand and higher overheads in the capital.

For patients who need both knees treated, bilateral all-inclusive packages at most UK centres run approximately £4,500 to £6,000. That saving versus two separate single-knee episodes reflects the efficiencies of treating both joints in the same appointment, but it is still a substantial commitment to factor into household budgets.

Two cost items consistently catch patients off-guard. Initial consultation fees — typically in the region of £110 to £150 — are usually billed separately from the procedure cost, so confirm this at the point of enquiry. All-inclusive packages also vary considerably in scope: some cover diagnostic imaging (ultrasound or MRI), the injection itself, and post-procedure follow-up; others cover only the injection. Before committing to any clinic, ask specifically which components are included in the quoted price and whether additional charges apply to imaging or aftercare.

All figures here are approximate regional benchmarks based on publicly available pricing at time of writing; individual clinics may price differently, and costs should always be confirmed directly before booking.

Private health insurance and financing options

Assuming private health insurance will cover Arthrosamid is the single most common — and most costly — mistake patients make when budgeting for this treatment. Bupa, AXA Health, and Aviva do not routinely reimburse Arthrosamid injections; all three currently assess the treatment on a case-by-case basis and frequently classify it as experimental or outside their standard reimbursement frameworks.

If you intend to pursue a claim, the pre-authorisation steps are non-negotiable. Before booking any clinic appointment or paying a deposit:

• Obtain a formal referral from an orthopaedic surgeon or rheumatologist
• Ask the specialist to provide written clinical justification specifically for Arthrosamid
• Contact your insurer and request written pre-authorisation — verbal assurances are not binding
• Receive that written confirmation before committing to any costs

Even with all four steps completed, coverage may still be declined. Patients who book on the strength of an informal insurer conversation and later submit a claim without pre-authorisation are routinely refused reimbursement.

Spreading the cost

For those self-funding, instalment plans offer a practical route. Nuffield Health, for instance, provides 0% personal medical loans repayable over 10, 12, or 24 months, allowing the treatment cost to be spread without interest. Other clinic groups are beginning to offer comparable arrangements — it is worth asking directly when comparing providers, as availability varies by centre.