Bisphosphonate News and Research

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Bisphosphonate is a drug or substance used to treat hypercalcemia (abnormally high blood calcium) and bone pain caused by some types of cancer. Forms of bisphosphonates are also used to treat osteoporosis and for bone imaging. Bisphosphonates inhibit a type of bone cell that breaks down bone. Also called diphosphonate.

New discovery paves way for genetic screening test

Researchers at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine have identified a genetic variation that raises the risk of developing serious necrotic jaw bone lesions in patients who take bisphosphonates, a common class of osteoclastic inhibitors.

27 Jan 2012

Bone drug effective in improving breast cancer survival

In a chance finding a bone drug was found to be effective in breast cancer. While doctors were prescribing young women a medicine to keep their bones strong during breast cancer treatment they noted that after seven years it did more than that - the bone drug improved survival, as much as most chemotherapy could do.

12 Dec 2011

Zoledronic acid increases bone mineral density, reduces recurrence in postmenopausal breast cancer

The addition of zoledronic acid to adjuvant endocrine therapy increased bone mineral density and reduced the risk for disease recurrence among postmenopausal women with early hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, according to new data from the ZO-FAST trial.

8 Dec 2011

Novartis to showcase 160 presentations on breast cancer, hematological disease drugs at SABCS and ASH

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation will showcase more than one hundred and sixty presentations on data from its robust oncology portfolio at two key medical congresses this month, demonstrating significant advances for patients with cancers and hematological diseases.

3 Dec 2011

Merck wins fourth FOSAMAX trial

Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today said a federal court jury in New York found in its favor in the Secrest v. Merck case, rejecting the claim of a Florida woman who blamed her dental and jaw-related problems on her FOSAMAX use.

4 Oct 2011

Zoledronic acid may extend survival in older breast cancer patients

A drug used to protect bone may extend survival in older breast cancer patients, according to researchers at the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds.

27 Sep 2011

Ibandronate controls pain in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases

Many prostate cancer patients develop bone metastases, and controlling the pain these cause can be difficult. Now the first large randomised Phase III trial of a bisphosphonate drug in these patients has shown that a single dose of the drug is as good for pain relief as single dose radiotherapy, the standard treatment for bone metastases. Results of the trial were presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress.

26 Sep 2011

Zometa bone drug trial in post-menopausal women with breast cancer

Results from a latest large-scale clinical trial called Azure found that Novartis AG's bone drug Zometa extended survival in older breast cancer patients but failed to improve disease-free survival among younger women patients.

26 Sep 2011

FDA advisory panel suggests warning for bisphosphonates but does not specify wording

Two independent advisory panels to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday recommended increasing the cautionary language on the product labels of bone-building drugs taken by more than five million women in the United States. They did not however mention the exact words of the safety warnings and did not recommend limiting use of the drugs to a proposed five years. About 11 percent of women 55 and older take the drugs to prevent bone fractures.

12 Sep 2011

FDA reviews safety issues of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis

An advisory committee for U.S. Food and Drug Administration meets Friday to review the safety of a popular class of osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates amid worry that their long-term use could cause rare fractures of the thighbones and affect the jawbone. The committee will evaluate whether women should temporarily stop using the drugs or use them for only a few years.

6 Sep 2011

HSS orthopedic surgeon earns recognition for research on metabolic bone disease

Joseph M. Lane, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon nationally recognized for his work in metabolic bone disease, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the hospital's 28th Annual Tribute Dinner on Monday, June 20, for his innovative research on bone disease and the use of bisphosphonates in treating osteoporosis. Brian Williams, anchor of Nightly News on NBC, will serve as toastmaster.

21 Jun 2011

$Zoledronate at lower dose effective in reducing risk of osteoporotic fractures$

Zoledronate at lower dose effective in reducing risk of osteoporotic fractures

A lower dose of zoledronic acid than currently recommended for prevention of bone fractures due to osteoporosis decreases bone resorption and increases bone density, and may be effective in reducing the risk of osteoporotic fractures, a study finds.

7 Jun 2011

Higher than IOM recommended Vitamin D levels required for optimizing osteoporosis, low BMD therapy

To fully optimize a drug therapy for osteoporosis and low bone mineral density (BMD), patients should maintain vitamin D levels above the limits recently recommended by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), according to a new study by researchers from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. The study will be presented at the Endocrine Society's Annual Meeting in Boston, June 4-7.

7 Jun 2011

Exelixis reports encouraging interim data from cabozantinib phase 2 trial for metastatic CRPC

Exelixis, Inc. today reported updated interim data from the fully enrolled cohort of patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) treated with cabozantinib (XL184) in a phase 2 adaptive randomized discontinuation trial (RDT).

7 Jun 2011

Women with low bone density more likely to benefit from bisphosphonate drug

Women with low bone density are seven times more likely to benefit from a bisphosphonate drug when their vitamin D blood levels are above recent recommendations from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) as adequate for bone health.

7 Jun 2011

Celgene announces results of REVLIMID, docetaxel/prednisone phase II combination study on mCRPC

Celgene International Sàrl today announced results from a phase II investigator initiated study of REVLIMID (lenalidomide) in combination with Avastin (bevacizumab), docetaxel and prednisone in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer were presented at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, Ill.

6 Jun 2011

FDA accepts EffRx NDA for EX101 to treat osteoporosis

EffRx Pharmaceuticals SA, an Epalinges/Lausanne, Switzerland based drug delivery company announces that the New Drug Application for the company's lead development program EX101 has been accepted for filing by the US Food and Drug Administration.

12 May 2011

$Study: Only 15% of heart failure patients with spinal fractures are being treated for osteoporosis$

Study: Only 15% of heart failure patients with spinal fractures are being treated for osteoporosis

One in 10 heart failure patients had compression fractures in the spine that could have been detected by a chest X-ray, but few are receiving treatment to help prevent such fractures according to a Canadian study published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Heart Failure.

11 May 2011

$Bone building drugs bisphosphonates lead to only a marginally higher risk of fractures: Study$

Bone building drugs bisphosphonates lead to only a marginally higher risk of fractures: Study

According to a new study, nearly 78% of all Swedish women aged 55 years and older who sustained a thigh bone or femur fracture in 2008 had taken bisphosphonates for their osteoporosis. However the authors of the study published in the May 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) write that the absolute risk for such breaks is small enough to justify prescribing the drugs.

5 May 2011

$Study: Bisphosphonates can cause fatigue fractures$

Study: Bisphosphonates can cause fatigue fractures

Bisphosphonates are a medication that has been administered since the 1990s, which reduces the overall risk of brittleness and incidence of osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates deactivate those cells used to break down bone and therefore prevent fractures caused by brittleness of the bone.

5 May 2011

Bisphosphonate News and Research

Further Reading

New discovery paves way for genetic screening test

Bone drug effective in improving breast cancer survival

Zoledronic acid increases bone mineral density, reduces recurrence in postmenopausal breast cancer

Novartis to showcase 160 presentations on breast cancer, hematological disease drugs at SABCS and ASH

Merck wins fourth FOSAMAX trial

Zoledronic acid may extend survival in older breast cancer patients

Ibandronate controls pain in prostate cancer patients with bone metastases

Zometa bone drug trial in post-menopausal women with breast cancer

FDA advisory panel suggests warning for bisphosphonates but does not specify wording

FDA reviews safety issues of bisphosphonates for osteoporosis

HSS orthopedic surgeon earns recognition for research on metabolic bone disease

Zoledronate at lower dose effective in reducing risk of osteoporotic fractures

Higher than IOM recommended Vitamin D levels required for optimizing osteoporosis, low BMD therapy

Exelixis reports encouraging interim data from cabozantinib phase 2 trial for metastatic CRPC

Women with low bone density more likely to benefit from bisphosphonate drug

Celgene announces results of REVLIMID, docetaxel/prednisone phase II combination study on mCRPC

FDA accepts EffRx NDA for EX101 to treat osteoporosis

Study: Only 15% of heart failure patients with spinal fractures are being treated for osteoporosis

Bone building drugs bisphosphonates lead to only a marginally higher risk of fractures: Study

Study: Bisphosphonates can cause fatigue fractures

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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