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.

Doctors recommend drug holidays from bisphosphonates to enhance bone health

Taking time off from certain osteoporosis drugs may be beneficial to bone health, according to a study conducted at Loyola University Health System. Researchers found that bone density remained stable for three years in patients who took a drug holiday from bisphosphonates, a popular class of osteoporosis drugs that can cause fractures in the thigh bones and tissue decay in the jaw bone.

19 Nov 2010

$More studies needed on bisphosphonates therapy and fracture risk$

More studies needed on bisphosphonates therapy and fracture risk

On October 13, the Food and Drug Administration published a warning to doctors and patients about an increased risk of thigh fractures with a widely used group of bone-strengthening drugs called bisphosphonates. This warning was much awaited in the light of a report published in the American Journal of Bone and Mineral Research in September titled "Atypical Subtrochanteric and Diaphyseal Femoral Fractures: Report of a Task Force of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research."

20 Oct 2010

Novartis announces six-year data of Reclast injection for postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Novartis announced today that new six-year data reinforce the long-term efficacy and safety profile of once-yearly Reclast (zoledronic acid) injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.The study of more than 1,200 women was presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in Toronto, ON, Canada.

19 Oct 2010

New data on Merck’s odanacatib for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women presented at 32nd ASBMR

New data on odanacatib, an investigational cathepsin-K (Cat-K) inhibitor in development for the treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, were presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in Toronto, Canada.

19 Oct 2010

Six-year data of reinforces efficacy and safety of Reclast injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Novartis announced today that new six-year data reinforce the long-term efficacy and safety profile of once-yearly Reclast (zoledronic acid) injection in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis. The study of more than 1,200 women was presented this weekend at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) in Toronto, ON, Canada.

18 Oct 2010

Officials address several drug issues including medical risks, proper disposal of unused medicine

Federal and state officials are addressing several drug issues including the risks associated with bone-strengthening drugs, complaints about a blood-thinning drug and a new law to help people safely dispose of unused medicine.

15 Oct 2010

$FDA warns of risk of atypical thigh bone fracture in patients taking bisphosphonates$

FDA warns of risk of atypical thigh bone fracture in patients taking bisphosphonates

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today warned patients and health care providers about the possible risk of atypical thigh bone (femoral) fracture in patients who take bisphosphonates, a class of drugs used to prevent and treat osteoporosis. A labeling change and Medication Guide will reflect this risk. Bisphosphonates inhibit the loss of bone mass in people with osteoporosis.

14 Oct 2010

FDA approves Warner Chilcott's ACTONEL for postmenopausal osteoporosis

Warner Chilcott plc today announced that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its next generation ACTONEL® (risedronate sodium) product for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis in the United States. The product will be marketed as ATELVIA™ (risedronate sodium) delayed-release tablets.

11 Oct 2010

Merck to appeal against jury verdict in retrial of federal FOSAMAX case

Merck & Co., Inc. today said it will appeal a decision by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that reduced the jury verdict from $8 million to $1.5 million but denied Merck's request for judgment in its favor or a new trial in the case of Boles v. Merck, a retrial of a federal FOSAMAX case.

5 Oct 2010

Osteoporosis common but underestimated in old men: Study

According to the latest research osteoporosis a diseases common in women that makes bones brittle and easily breakable with age also affects men. The study suggests that this debilitating condition is often overlooked in elderly Australian men.

3 Oct 2010

Enobia announces positive results from ENB-0040 Phase II juvenile clinical trial for hypophosphatasia

Enobia Pharma today announced positive results for its Phase II juvenile clinical trial of ENB-0040 (asfotase alfa), an experimental bone-targeted enzyme replacement therapy intended for the treatment of hypophosphatasia (HPP). Hypophosphatasia is a rare, inherited, and sometimes fatal metabolic bone disease that affects individuals of all ages.

24 Sep 2010

EffRx, Nycomed announce European filing for EX101 marketing approval

EffRx Pharmaceuticals SA and its partner, the global pharmaceutical company Nycomed, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, today announced that the first European filing for marketing approval of EX101, a once-a-week 70mg buffered effervescent alendronate, for the treatment of osteoporosis, has been submitted. The filing triggers a milestone payment to EffRx.

21 Sep 2010

$Bisphosphonates drug may lead to atypical femur fractures in osteoporosis patients: Report$

Bisphosphonates drug may lead to atypical femur fractures in osteoporosis patients: Report

A widely prescribed class of drugs is highly effective in reducing common bone fractures in people with osteoporosis, but an expert panel announced today that these same drugs - when used long term - may be related to unusual but serious fractures of the thigh bone.

14 Sep 2010

Major bone-related meetings to take place in Valencia, Spain in March 2011

Two bone-related meetings, jointly organized by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis and International Osteoporosis Foundation will take place in Valencia, Spain in March 2011.

11 Aug 2010

Study reveals no evidence of link between bisphosphonates to esophageal cancer risk

Although some reports have suggested a link between the use of oral bisphosphonates (drugs that prevent the loss of bone mass) and esophageal cancer, analysis of medical data from more than 80,000 patients in the United Kingdom found that use of these drugs was not significantly associated with new cases of esophageal or gastric cancer, according to a study in the August 11 issue of JAMA.

11 Aug 2010

Merck challenges New York jury decision in federal FOSAMAX retrial

Merck & Co., Inc. today said it is challenging the decision returned by a New York jury in the retrial of a federal FOSAMAX case, Boles v. Merck. This case was the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee's top choice to take to trial and involved a Florida woman who blamed her dental and jaw problems on FOSAMAX. The first case to reach a verdict, Maley v. Merck, resulted in a defense verdict for Merck on May 5, 2010.

28 Jun 2010

Bisphosphonates may cause poorer survival rate in women with early stage breast cancer: Study

Scientists from the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit presented preliminary data that shows nitrogen-containing bisphosphonates, therapeutic agents used to promote bone health and inhibit resorption, may cause a slightly poorer survival rate in post-menopausal women with early stage breast cancer who take them for their anti-osteoporosis properties.

7 Jun 2010

Amgen's Prolia receives FDA approval for treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis

Amgen Inc. today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Prolia™ (denosumab) for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk for fracture, defined as a history of osteoporotic fracture, or multiple risk factors for fracture; or patients who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapy. Prolia, the first and only FDA-approved RANK Ligand inhibitor, is an every six month 60 mg subcutaneous injection administered by a health care professional.

2 Jun 2010

Use of bisphosphonates associated with risk of developing BON after dental surgery: Study

People undergoing bisphosphonate therapy to prevent or treat osteoporosis (a thinning of the bones) may be unfamiliar with the drug and possible adverse side effects on oral health, according to a study in the May issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

27 May 2010

Merrion Pharmaceuticals increases patent protection for Orazol

Merrion Pharmaceuticals plc, a pharmaceutical development company, today announces that it has been granted a further U.S. Patent, increasing the protection for their lead product, Orazol™.

7 May 2010