Amgen's AMG-162 for treatment of osteoporosis will become a blockbuster by 2013

Decision Resources, Inc., forecasts that Amgen's novel biological agent for the treatment of osteoporosis, AMG-162, will become a blockbuster by 2013. Premium pricing of AMG-162 will propel the sales of this agent.

The new Pharmacor study entitled Osteoporosis also finds that the total osteoporosis market -- including osteopenia -- will increase at a 4.6% annual rate. Factors that will drive the market's growth include substantial increases in the drug-treated patient population and the launch of new agents that require less-frequent administration and provide novel mechanisms of action.

"Much of the growth will be due to the launch of new bisphosphonates, including Roche's Boniva/Bonviva (ibandronate), Novartis's Zometa (zoledronate), and Amgen's novel biological agent, the RANKL inhibitor AMG- 162," said Donny Wong, Ph.D., analyst at Decision Resources.

"These novel agents will be used by patients who cannot tolerate the side effects or manage the weekly dosing requirements of currently marketed oral bisphosphonates."

The 2004 U.S. Surgeon General's report on bone health states that half of all U.S. citizens over the age of 50 will be at risk of osteoporotic fractures by 2020. Despite the increasing awareness of osteoporosis and osteopenia in the medical community, less than 50% of the prevalent population is diagnosed, and even fewer patients with these conditions are treated with pharmacological agents.