Osteoporosis Clinical Trials 2023

What Are Osteoporosis Clinical Trials?

Osteoporosis is a skeletal health condition characterized by a decreased density of normally mineralized bone. The reduced bone mass leads to weakened, fragile bones that are more likely to fracture.

Cells are responsible for constantly breaking down (osteoclasts) and replacing (osteoblasts) bone. Osteoporosis occurs when the renewal production of bone tissue cannot keep up with the breakdown of old bone.

Osteoporosis can affect women and men of all races, but white and Asian women, especially those who are past menopause, are at the highest risk.

Why Is Osteoporosis Being Studied Through Clinical Trials?

Osteoporosis clinical trials aim to test the efficacy and safety of investigational drugs, medical devices, or treatments.

Researchers aim to identify the possible causes of osteoporosis and provide relief, prevent further complications, and ultimately cure osteoporosis in patients.

Approximately 10 million Americans are diagnosed with osteoporosis. In addition, another 44 million Americans have low bone density, placing them at high risk of bone fractures.

Up to one in two women and one in every four men will suffer from a bone fracture due to osteoporosis in their lifetime.

Clinical trials for osteoporosis are broadly divided into two categories:

• Testing the efficacy and safety of new therapies, medicines, and treatments

• Expanding knowledge and understanding of the different aspects and causes of osteoporosis

Individuals diagnosed with osteoporosis volunteer to test new drugs or procedures to determine if they are effective and safe.

What Are The Types of Treatments Available For Osteoporosis?

Osteoporosis is mainly treated with the following drugs:

• Antiresorptive drugs: Slow down or blocks the breakdown of bone.

• Anabolic drugs: Stimulates or enhance the formation of new bone.

Anabolic Therapy in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

The clinical trial is to learn more about the effects of two FDA-approved medications, Romosozumab and Denosumab, in treating osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.

Exercise Training For Osteoporosis

The clinical study is a six-month randomized control study to identify complementary therapies to enhance the treatment of osteoporosis and low bone mass in older patients.

The study will examine the efficacy of novel progressive resistive muscle exercises in postmenopausal women with a low bone mass.

What Are Some Recent Breakthrough Clinical Trials For Osteoporosis?

2004: Teriparatide Reduces Fracture Risks Associated With Osteoporosis Fractures – Teriparatide (Forteo) is a synthetic version of parathyroid hormone that helps to increase bone density and strength. It is the first approved anabolic (bone-building) drug. Teriparatide stimulates bone formation and reduces fracture risks in the spine and other bones.

2016: Romosozumab Treatment in Postmenopausal Women with Osteoporosis – A trial in The New England Journal of Medicine enrolled over 7,000 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and found that women using romosozumab had far fewer vertebral fractions compared to the placebo group.

Who Are Some Of The Key Opinion Leaders / Researchers In Osteoporosis Research?

Douglas C. Bauer, M.D. is a key researcher in the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of osteoporosis. He was a Trustee for the National Osteoporosis Foundation and currently serves on the FDA Bone, Urologic, and Reproductive Drug Advisory Committee (BRUDAC).

Steven R. Cummings, M.D. is an internationally recognized specialist in the epidemiology of osteoporosis, aging, and women’s health.

Michael C. Nevitt, Ph.D., MPH, is a leading expert on the epidemiology of osteoarthritis of the knee and hip.