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Thesis statement: new treatment for osteoporosis provides major improvements

in bone density and more effective protection against fractures than the current
standard treatment.

New Treatments for Osteoporosis

A new treatment for osteoporosis provides major improvements in bone density

and more effective protection against fractures than the current standard
treatment. These are the findings of a study published in the New England
Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The study is the first that compares the effect of
two osteoporosis medicines on fractures.

"With the new treatment, we could offer significantly better protection against
fractures and could thereby help many patients with severe osteoporosis," says
co-author of the study Mattias Lorentzon, Professor of Geriatrics at the Institute
of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, and Senior Physician at Sahlgrenska
University Hospital.

Many patients with severe osteoporosis and a high risk of fractures often cannot
regain their original bone strength. They continue to have fractures even with
treatment according to current standards with alendronate in tablet form every
week.

Alendronate increases bone density by slowing the breakdown of bone and

thereby decreasing the risk of fractures by 20-50 per cent. Many people with
osteoporosis, especially elderly women, nonetheless continue to suffer broken
bones, sometimes just by falling from a standing position. The fractures lead to
disability and suffering, and with hip and vertebral fractures, often premature
death.

The current study included 4,093 women, of an average age of 74 years, with
osteoporosis and previous fractures. They were randomly allocated to 12 months'
treatment with either alendronate or the new medication romosozumab, an
antibody that blocks the substance sclerostin, which slows the new formation of
bone. Treatment with romosozumab thereby leads to rapid new bone formation.
After the first 12 months, all patients received alendronate for 12 months.

The risk of vertebral fracture in the course of the study proved to be 48 per cent
lower for those who received romosozumab compared with the group that
received alendronate the whole time. The proportions suffering fractures in the
two groups were 6.2 per cent and 11.9 per cent, respectively.

The risk of a clinical fracture, such as an arm or leg fracture, was 27 per cent
lower in the group that received romosozumab. Here, the proportions suffering
fractures in the different groups were 9.7 per cent and 13.0 per cent, respectively.

The proportion of side effects and serious side effects was generally just as
common in both of the treatment groups. However, it was observed that serious
cardiovascular events, such as heart attack or stroke, occurred in 2.5 per cent
of the patients that received romosozumab compared with 1.9 per cent in the
group that received alendronate during the first 12 months of the study.

According to Mattias Lorentzon, the safety aspects of the new medication need
to be studied further. However, an earlier study of nearly twice the size showed
that romosozumab does not provide a greater risk of cardiovascular events
compared with a placebo.

"With romosozumab in the treatment arsenal, we could prevent many fractures

among the high-risk patients," he concludes.
Source:

University of Gothenburg. (2017, September 19). New treatment for osteoporosis provides better
protection against fractures. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 16, 2018 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170919092456.htm