Released 18 September 2008

Osteoporosis drug 'shows promise' in two-year trial

A new drug for osteoporosis has shown positive results in a Phase IIB clinical trial that lasted 24 months.

US drug company Merck announced that odanacatib (formerly MK-0822), designed for postmenopausal women, significantly increased bone mineral density (BMD) compared to placebo after two years.

Odanacatib showed a dose-dependent increase in BMD at the "total hip, lumbar spine and femoral neck fracture sites and decreased indices of bone resorption compared to placebo in postmenopausal women with low BMD".

Researchers conducted a multi-centre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled study involving 399 postmenopausal women with low BMD who were given doses of 3, 10, 25 or 50 mg orally, once a week for 24 months.

The results, announced at the 30th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR), showed that once-weekly treatment with 10, 25 and 50 mg of odanacatib significantly increased BMD at the lumbar spine, total hip and femoral neck compared to baseline.

An Arthritis Research Campaign spokesman said: "There are numerous new drugs being trialled and becoming available for the treatment of osteoporosis. However, the problem is that many women at risk of fracture are not receiving any preventative treatment."
ADNFCR-1096-ID-18785727-ADNFCR

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