Apollo Hospitals has partnered with Mumbai-based Regenerative Medical Services (RMS) Regrow to offer a safe and cost-effective cell therapy for cartilage and bone problems for the first time in India.

The partnership will make the cell-based treatment available across all 40 centers of Apollo Hospitals, including Apollo Spectra Hospitals and Apollo clinics in India, the hospital chain said at an event here on Monday.RMS Regrow, the first "Make in India" company in cell therapy technology, has two treatments: Chondron ACI for knees or cartilage problems and Ossron Autologous Osteoblast Implantation (ABI) for hip joints."Nearly 65-70 percent of people above the age of 40 experience joint problems. The cell therapy may help postpone the need for a replacement surgery and with proper rehabilitation it will also enable a patient to resume normal routine in nearly three months," Prathap C Reddy, Founder-Chairman of Apollo Hospitals told the media.

With the cell-therapy technique, damage to the cartilage can be repaired after the new cultured cartilage is put back into one's knees.However, for individuals at an advanced stage of osteoarthritis, replacement surgeries will be the best mode of treatment as their cartilages may not be able to regrow."Both Ossron and Chondron are efficient in treating a young arthritic knee with sports injuries, accidents and can is an alternative treatment to hip replacements or knee replacements," said Satyen Sanghavi, Chief Scientific Officer at RMS Regrow.

"In the future, the cell therapy-based treatment can also be extended to a lengthening of limbs or bones or for maxillofacial defects (defects of the head and neck)," he added.The company also received a market authorisation approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DGCI) in April this year.Further, the treatment cost "in India, will be Rs 3.5-4 lakh per patient, which is less than 10 percent of the cost abroad and will be available in all our hospitals in six months," Reddy said.