Half of all Americans over 50 at Risk for Fractures from Osteoporosis, New Study Says
A new report indicates that by 2020, half of all American citizens older than 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis.
Fairfield, NJ (PRWEB) October 21, 2004
According to U. S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona, a new report indicates that by 2020, half of all American citizens older than 50 will be at risk for fractures from osteoporosis and low bone mass if no immediate action is taken by individuals at risk, doctors, health systems, and policymakers.
Coinciding with the skyrocketing number of cases of osteoporosis has been the marketing of new drugs to treat the condition. Fortical®, a nasal calcitonin treatment from Unigene Laboratories, is expected to be one of the newest players in the osteoporosis therapy race.
In third-party clinical trials, calcitonin demonstrated a 62 percent reduction in the incidence of new vertebral fractures for a subgroup of women over 75 years of age, one of the most significant reductions demonstrated by any current osteoporosis therapy.
In addition, calcitonin is the only therapy for the disease that can reduce the severe bone pain associated with advanced stages of the disease. Currently, calcitonin is available only as an injection or a nasal spray. Because calcitonin is a peptide, it is very difficult to administer this drug orally, as it would be digested before it could exert its therapeutic effect. However, Unigene has developed a technology that in clinical trials has made oral delivery of certain peptides possible and is currently developing an oral formulation of calcitonin.
“Calcitonin has a proven, 30-year record of safe human use with virtually no significant side effects and can be taken simultaneously with other medications,” said Dr. Warren Levy, president and CEO of Unigene. “Once therapy is initiated with any osteoporosis treatment, it should ideally be taken for life. We believe that an oral formulation of calcitonin could improve compliance to facilitate long-term administration.”
Another therapeutic option is parathyroid hormone (PTH), which can rebuild bone mass lost due to osteoporosis. PTH has been proven to increase the volume and strength of the honeycomb-like bone infrastructure. This inner framework begins to erode in old age. In third-party studies, PTH injections have been shown to reduce the incidence of fractures by restoring some of the lost bone, although this method of administration is not preferred by most patients. Unigene and GlaxoSmithKline are jointly developing an orally administered PTH treatment.
According to "Bone Health and Osteoporosis: A Report of the Surgeon General", 10 million Americans over the age of 50 currently have osteoporosis.
###
