Table 2.

Food and Drug Administration Classification of Cartilage Repair Products

Classification	Primary mechanism of action	Examples
Drug	Compound metabolically induces repair	Injectable compounds to stimulate growth or prevent tissue loss
Device	Provides structural support and/or matrix for intrinsic tissue growth, not dependent on being metabolized for primary intended purpose	Collagenous matrices, biphasic synthetic osteochondral implants, hyaluronic acid injection
Biologic	Cell-based product or therapeutic protein	Autologous or allogeneic cellular products, recombinant proteins