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Injectable Treatments for Osteoporosis

Injectable medications have revolutionized the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, a widely diagnosed disease of the bone. Now it is possible for patients who are at high risk of the disease or who are already suffering its effects to get the treatment they need with one to four intravenous injections a year. For those who sometimes forget to take their oral medications on a strict schedule, this form of treatment is a welcome alternative.

  1. What Is Osteoporosis?

    • Osteoporosis is a progressive disease characterized by "low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue," according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). The disease can quietly do its damage while causing few, if any, symptoms. Eventually an osteoporosis patient may suffer a fracture of the hip or spine that will leave her permanently disabled, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF). Because the disease can either be prevented or treated if its effects have already begun, the NOF works hard to promote awareness of what the disease can do and the factors that put people at increased risk.

    Incidence

    • The NIAMS estimates that 10 million Americans, most of them women, suffer from osteoporosis. Although the disease is more common in women, roughly 2 million U.S. men are afflicted with osteoporosis. The NIAMS reports that disease each year causes more than1.5 million bone fractures: 700,000 vertebral fractures, 300,000 hip, 250,000 wrist and 300,000 fractures elsewhere in the body.

    Risk Factors

    • The NIAMS points out that certain risk factors cannot be altered, notably gender and age. As previously noted, women are far more likely to develop osteoporosis. It also tends to strike its victims at a later age, frequently after menopause in women. Other risk factors that can't be altered include a family history of the disease, small body size and being either Caucasian or Asian. Other risk factors that can be altered include low levels of sex hormones, calcium and vitamin D, as well as a sedentary lifestyle, high alcohol consumption, smoking and the use of certain medications, including some anticonvulsants and glucocorticoids.

    Injectable Medications

    • Beside hormone replacement therapy, which is particularly helpful in postmenopausal women, the treatments for osteoporosis fall into two main classes: bisphosphanates and calcitonin. Brand name drugs among the bisphosphanates include Fosamax, Boniva, Actonel and Reclast. Both Boniva and Reclast are available in injectable form. Boniva requires four injections a year, while Reclast can be done with one injection annually. Brand name calcitonin drugs include Fortical and Miacalcin, the latter of which is available as an injection. Osteoporosis patients with underlying parathyroid problems can receive daily injections of the parathyroid hormone teriparatide (Forteo) to slow bone loss and stimulate bone growth.

    On the Horizon

    • Amgen, a major biotechnology company, has a promising new injectable drug called denosumab (Prolia) that was waiting for final approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in late 2009. The drug, to be administered in twice-annual injections, inhibits the activity of osteoclasts, cells that break down bone tissue.

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