Studies boost hope for osteoporosis treatment
February 1, 1999 2 minutes read
Studies boost hope for osteoporosis treatment
Conference yields results on several fronts
Early indications show success for a variety of new treatment methods for osteoporosis, according to researchers at the Second Joint Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, held the first week of Decem ber in San Francisco.
A double-blind placebo-controlled study of recombinant human parathyroid hormone resulted in increases of bone mass and density in three groups of patients at separate dosage levels. The study involved 217 post-menopausal patients ages 50 to 75 given either 50, 75, or 100 mcg/day of subcutaneous injections or placebo for one year. All patients also were given daily supplements of calcium (500 mg), vitamin D (400 IU), and vitamin A (5,000 IU). In terms of mass and density scales, increases were reported at 2.6%, 4.6%, and 6.9% in conjunction with the three dosage levels.
A separate study aimed at decreasing bone loss toward stabilization using a calcium citrate supplement also had positive results. In this study, 29 early post-menopausal patients were given 400 mg of the supplement twice daily vs. 34 patients on placebo. The patients were evaluated at one and two years vs. baseline. The evaluations found bone mass preservation in the spine, femoral neck and radial shaft at significantly detectable levels. Researchers say they believe the preservation was due to the inhibition of bone resorption from parathyroid suppression.
A third study reported positive inhibition of bone resorption with drug compounds in the relatively new class of selective estrogen receptor modulators, also called "designer est rogens." The small molecule compounds are designed to mimic the bone loss inhibition effects of estrogen while eliminating the hormone’s inherent risks such as breast and uterine cancer. The compound study was conducted in animal models toward future use as an alternative to estrogen replacement therapy.
Also at the conference, CompuMed Inc. of Man hattan Beach, CA, announced it has filed an application with the FDA for an osteoporosis diagnostic test after three years of clinical testing co-sponsored in part by the U.S. Public Health Service. The computer software and desktop scanner system is designed to provide high resolution images and can be merged with standard X-ray machines or upgraded to digital X-ray imaging.
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