NEWS - New osteoporosis drugs in the works

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New Osteoporosis Drugs in the Works

Biologic Osteoporosis Drugs Denosumab and Odanacatib Show Promise in

Clinical Trials

By Miranda Hitti

WebMD Health NewsReviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Sept. 18, 2008 -- Two experimental osteoporosis drugs are getting

attention from bone experts -- and may become the first biologic drugs

to treat osteoporosis.

The drugs are called denosumab and odancatib. Results from their

latest clinical trials, presented this week in Montreal at the annual

meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, show

that the drugs boosted bone mineral density in postemenopausal women

with osteoporosis.

Denosumab and odanacatib are " totally, completely new " ways of

approaching osteoporosis, says Bukata, MD, an orthopaedic

surgeon and associate professor who directs the University of

Rochester's Center for Bone Health.

" This is the new frontier in osteoporosis. This is the step into

biologics for osteoporosis treatment, " Bukata tells WebMD. She

predicts that denosumab or odanacatib probably won't be the first

osteoporosis treatments that doctors prescribe for most patients, and

she says cost may be a factor in how widely the new drugs get used, if

approved by the FDA.

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Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/news/20080918/new-osteoporosis-drugs-in-the-wo\

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