A $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health will allow University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers to study the links between knee structure changes and clinical outcomes in people with osteoarthritis.

Shares of Flexion Therapeutics soared in trading on Oct. 11 after Pacira Biosciences announced the acquisition of the Burlington, Massachusetts-based biopharmaceutical company for $427 million in cash.

South San Francisco-based Unity Biotechnology reported that the 12-week results from the company’s Phase II study of UBX0101 in moderate-to-severe painful osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee failed to show improvement over placebo.

Anika Therapeutics Inc. announced results from the company’s CINGAL 16-02 clinical trial, an active-comparator Phase III study being conducted to support U.S. registration.

The Korea Ministry of Food and Drug Safety granted marketing approval for Invossa-K Inj., the world’s first cell and gene therapy for degenerative arthritis.