Novartis launched once-a-year osteoporosis treatment

The Swiss company Novartis recently received the FDA approval for the U.S. market for their new osteoporosis drug “Reclast”, a therapy that is only given once a year via a 15-minute infusion. The new treatment option is especially designed for women who suffer from post-menopausal osteoporosis.

Photo: Novartis launched once-a-year osteoporosis treatment
One out of two women over the age of 50 suffers an osteoporotic fracture once in her lifetime. All in all, the disease is responsible for 1.5 million fractures each year, some of them with devastating consequences like post operative death after a hip fracture (20 percent of the patients).
 
Today treatment options for osteoporosis consists of pills which are taken daily, weekly or monthly with the result, that most women stop the therapy within one year. With Reclast Novartis now hopes to provide a treatment with a much better compliant, because women receive a full year of treatment within 15 minutes.
 
Studies showed that Reclast reduced the risk of spine fractures by 70 percent in more than 7,700 women whereas the more conventional oral drugs typically produce a 40 to 50 percent reduction of spinal fractures.
 
Moreover, 11 percent of the patients who received placebos had a fracture over three years compared to 3.3 percent of those women who received the drug.
Despite of these success, there were concerns about cases of artrial fibrillation that occur in the treated group. About 1.3 percent of the patients experienced this problem which Novartis suggested not to relate to the drug because the events occur 30 days after the infusion.
 

28.08.2007

More on the subject:

Related articles

Photo

News • Circadian-based therapeutic strategies

Cancer drugs more effective when the time-of-day is right, study finds

The time of day can be an important aspect to consider for cancer therapy. Researchers from Charité are developing new methods to use the internal clock inside tumor cells to optimize treatments.

Photo

News • Alternative to blood transfusion

Rhesus pregnancy: immunotherapy to protect the foetus

In rhesus pregnancy, antibodies from the pregnant mother can lead to anaemia for the foetus in the uterus. A new study suggests that a drug could serve as a non-surgical alternative.

Photo

News • Promising diagnostic tool

Alzheimer's: New test to detect side effect risk from drugs

A novel test aims to predict whether Alzheimer’s patients are genetically predisposed to side effects from anti-amyloid drugs, a promising new class of Alzheimer’s therapeutics.

Subscribe to Newsletter