Knee Cartilage Repair From The Patient Perspective
Important Safety Information
Full Prescribing Information
Cartilage Repair Blog
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Go to Patient Site

What motivates your patients?

Cartilage lesions in the knee may progress and new lesions may form as time between cartilage biopsy and implantation increases.1 For patients with accessible knee cartilage defects ≤4 cm2, early diagnosis and treatment with MACI Arthro may minimize lesion progression and the need for open ACI.1

Other considerations include:

  • When delivered arthroscopically, MACI knee cartilage repair offers a less invasive surgical incision than standard arthrotomy2
  • General surgical opinion is that arthroscopic delivery for knee cartilage repair may help reduce post-operative pain compared with standard arthrotomy3

Find what motivates your patients, and help them with the decision to move forward with MACI. This video can help.

Watch Jo's Journey

The impact of knee pain

Helping your patients understand the important role cartilage can play in being able to reduce knee pain might help them realize that the decision to move forward with treatment includes choices. For example:

Jo’s Orthopedic Surgeon

Actor Portrayal

“You can change your lifestyle to accommodate your injury, or you can repair your injury to accommodate your lifestyle.”

Need a patient-friendly overview about knee pain?

PDF iconStep-by-step overview of MACI cartilage repair

Jo’s Orthopedic Surgeon

Actor Portrayal

“You can change your lifestyle to accommodate your injury, or you can repair your injury to accommodate your lifestyle.”

Need a patient-friendly overview about knee pain?

Here’s some information that may help

Why MACI?

Cartilage does not heal on its own. In fact, it’s important to help your patients understand that cartilage damage may get worse over time.1 While chondroplasty or other conservative treatments may temporarily relieve pain, MACI uses your patients’ own cells to help them potentially return to an active lifestyle. Talk to your patients about how MACI may be able to:

Knee Icon

Reduce pain*4

Walking Icon

Improve function*4

Chondrocytes Icon

Provide lasting results†4,5

My Cartilage Care logo

Dedicated Support Tailored to Your Patients

A dedicated MyCartilageCare Case Manager is committed to offering comprehensive support tailored to your patient’s individual insurance requirements and treatment goals. Call 1-877-872-4643 or email [email protected].

MyCartilageCare Assist CoPay Program is a copay assistance program for eligible adult patients who are undergoing surgery with MACI (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) to repair their knee cartilage damage.*

Need additional support resources to share with your patient? The Patient Support page on the MACI patient website can help

*The MCC Assist CoPay Program is only valid in the U.S. for eligible patients 18 years or older with commercial/private insurance. The program is not valid for patients enrolled in or covered under any government healthcare insurance programs or where the entire cost of the implant is reimbursed by a plan. The program provides assistance with the out-of-pocket costs for the MACI implant only. The program does not cover the costs of any other healthcare provider charges, including procedure charges, office visit fees, or any other costs. Use of implant must be for an FDA-approved indication. The Program is not valid where prohibited by law, taxed, or otherwise restricted. Additional terms and conditions, eligibility requirements, and restrictions apply. See mycartilagecare.com/assist.

Jo’s Rehabilitation

MACI rehabilitation is integral to the success of treatment

If your patient is struggling with the MACI rehabilitation commitment, talk to them about other training challenges they’ve overcome to reach their goals. Remind them that you will work together with their physical therapist to customize a program that is specifically designed to help them get back into action.

Want to set clear expectations about rehab with your patients?

Here are some details
about rehab for them

* In the SUMMIT clinical trial, MACI was shown to offer greater pain relief and improvement in function when compared to microfracture.
† Improvements in pain and function were maintained with MACI at year 5

References: 1. Pettit RJ, Everhart JS, DiBartola AC, Blackwell RE, Flanigan DC. Time matters: knee cartilage defect expansion and high-grade lesion formation while awaiting autologous chondrocyte implantation. Cartilage. 2021;13(suppl 2):1802S-1808S. 2. Edwards PK, Ebert JR, Janes GC, Wood D, Fallon M, Ackland T. Arthroscopic versus open matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation: results and implications for rehabilitation. J Sport Rehabil. 2014;23(3):203-215. doi:10.1123/jsr.2013-0042. 3. Treuting R. Minimally invasive orthopedic surgery: arthroscopy. Ochsner J. 2000;2(3):158-163. 4. Saris D, Price A, Widuchowski W, et al; SUMMIT study group. Matrix-applied characterized autologous cultured chondrocytes versus microfracture: two-year follow-up of a prospective randomized trial. Am J Sports Med. 2014;42(6):1384-1394. 5. Brittberg M, Recker D, Ilgenfritz J, Saris DBF; SUMMIT Extension Study Group. Matrix-applied characterized autologous cultured chondrocytes versus microfracture: five-year follow-up of a prospective randomized trial. Am J Sports Med. 2018;46(6):1343-1351.

Indication and Important Safety Information

Important Safety Information

Contraindications: MACI is contraindicated in patients with a known history of hypersensitivity to gentamicin, other aminoglycosides, products of porcine or bovine origin; in patients with severe osteoarthritis of the knee, inflammatory arthritis, inflammatory joint disease, or uncorrected congenital blood coagulation disorders; in patients who have undergone prior knee surgery in the past 6 months, excluding surgery to procure a biopsy or a concomitant procedure to prepare the knee for a MACI implant; or in patients unable to cooperate with a physician-prescribed post-surgical rehabilitation program.

Warnings and Precautions:
  • Malignancy: The risk of MACI in patients with malignancy in the area of cartilage biopsy or implant is unknown. Expansion of malignant or dysplastic cells present in biopsy tissue during manufacture and subsequent implantation may be possible.
  • Transmissible infectious diseases: Because patients undergoing procedures associated with MACI are not routinely tested for transmissible infectious diseases, cartilage biopsy and MACI implant may carry risk of transmitting infectious diseases.
  • Presurgical Comorbidities: Local inflammation or active infection in the bone, joint, and surrounding soft tissue, meniscal pathology, cruciate ligament instability, and misalignment should be assessed and treated prior to or concurrent with MACI implantation.
  • Product Sterility: Final sterility test results are not available at the time of shipping.

Adverse Reactions: The most frequently occurring adverse reactions reported for MACI (≥5%) were arthralgia, tendonitis, back pain, joint swelling, and joint effusion. Serious adverse reactions reported for MACI were arthralgia, cartilage injury, meniscus injury, treatment failure, and osteoarthritis.

Specific Populations:
  • Use of MACI in pediatric patients (younger than 18 years of age) or in patients over 65 years of age has not been established.
  • The MACI implant is not recommended during pregnancy. For implantations post-pregnancy, the safety of breastfeeding to an infant has not been determined.

To report negative side effects, contact Vericel Corporation at 1-800-453-6948 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088) or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Please see Full Prescribing Information.

Indication

MACI® is an autologous cellularized scaffold product indicated for the repair of single or multiple symptomatic, full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee with or without bone involvement in adults.

MACI® (autologous cultured chondrocytes on porcine collagen membrane) is an autologous cellularized scaffold product indicated for the repair of single or multiple symptomatic, full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee with or without bone involvement in adults.

Limitations of Use

Effectiveness of MACI in joints other than the knee has not been established.

Safety and effectiveness of MACI in patients over the age of 55 years have not been established.