A medical gel billed by the UK press as one to "wipe out arthritic pain" is being launched in South Africa this week, offering hope to more than three million osteoarthritis and joint pain sufferers.
Flexiseq, a water-based gel, can be rubbed into painful joints twice a day, and, because it is drug-free, it has none of the dangerous side effects - such as heart problems, stomach issues or strokes - other drugs may have.
The gel contains tiny particles of a fat called phospholipids, that lubricates joints and allows them to move easily.
Local distribution comes a year after an article in the Sunday Times triggered interest from about 300 parties keen to distribute the drug locally.
Ken Ralston, MD of Sky Med, secured the right to distribute the product in Southern Africa from January this year.
More than six clinical studies have been published in medical journals involving over 4000 patients . Prescription arthritis drug Celebrex generated $2.72-billion worth of sales worldwide last year, according to the Wall Street Journal, and about R200-million in South Africa.
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