Latest Osteoporosis News: Big Changes For The Osteoporosis Drug Market, Scientists Catch Up On Bone Remodeling, Mainstream Scientists Concoct A Dangerous Drug Cocktail To Treat Osteoporosis, And More!

Changes are afoot in the world of osteoporosis drugs. As more bisphosphonates are losing their patents, these drugs are slowly but surely no longer the “gold standard” for osteoporosis.

So Big Pharma, in hopes of keeping profits up, is scrambling for new research that will give rise to a completely different class of drugs.

Also, to harbor more interest in the newer injectable drugs, the Medical Establishment is pouncing on recent studies that tout the “effectiveness” of drug combinations.

Yes, changes are definitely in the offing. But as we’ll soon see, when it comes to Mainstream Medicine, some things never change…

Bisphosphonates Lose Patent Protection

When a drug’s patent protection expires, it doesn’t mean the drug goes away (unfortunately). What this means is that generic forms of the drug become available, so it’s even more widely available than before, and sales of the name brand decrease dramatically.

Fosamax lost its patent protection in 2008, Boniva in March 2012, and all the main bisphosphonates are scheduled to follow suit. This means wider availability of the drug, but less money for Big Pharma.

News Excerpt

“Despite its maturity, the osteoporosis market is expected to undergo substantial change between 2012 and 2022. Most importantly, the ‘gold-standard’ bisphosphonates will lose patent protection by end-of-year 2013, flooding the marketplace with less expensive generic versions of these physician-preferred medications. Also during the forecast period covered by this report, osteoporosis drug development research will lead to the launches of a wave of novel anabolic drugs with greater efficacy and safety, causing a major market shift away from anti-resorptive drugs.”¹

So get ready for an increase in generic osteoporosis drugs early next year, and be on the lookout for new, patented drugs as pharmaceutical companies respond to the loss in profits.

Researchers “Discover” the Link Between Bone Resorption and Bone Remodeling

Once again, “Savers” are far ahead of the game here. From the very beginning, I’ve stressed the importance of resorption – that is, the tearing down of old bone – in the bone remodeling process. When I wrote the Osteoporosis Reversal Program there was already ample research available regarding this process and how it works to keep bones healthy, strong, and better able to resist fracture.

Isn’t it interesting that Big Pharma ignored the research on bone remodeling until now? That’s because they were too busy marketing bisphosphonates, which disrupt this remodeling process. Now that bisphosphonates are no longer the “darling” of the osteoporosis drug industry, this research is suddenly acknowledged and hailed as “new.”

Medical Xpress reports on a very recent study² published in The American Journal of Pathology that highlights “reversal cells,” key players in the bone remodeling process.

News Excerpt

“…investigators have begun to pay increasing attention to ‘reversal cells,’ which prepare for bone formation during bone remodeling. The hope is that these reversal cells will become critical therapeutic targets that may someday prevent osteoporosis and other bone disorders.

…

‘Our observations suggest that arrested reversal cells reflect aborted remodeling cycles which did not progress to the bone formation step,’ says Dr. Delaisse. “We therefore propose that bone loss in postmenopausal osteoporosis does not only result from a failure of bone formation as commonly believed, leading to incomplete filling of resorption cavities, but also from a failure at the reversal phase, uncoupling bone formation from resorption.’³

The researchers are on the right track – bone resorption and formation are inextricably linked. But if you read the excerpt carefully, you’ll see a key phrase that indicates what this research will be used to accomplish: “The hope is that these reversal cells will become critical therapeutic targets that may someday prevent osteoporosis.”

So instead of taking this information and recognizing that the body already has the mechanism in place to build bone (if you provide what it needs), this research will be used by pharmaceutical companies to make new drugs that target these reversal cells and claim to prevent or “cure” osteoporosis.

In Mainstream Medicine, the answer always seems to be more drugs. This approach rears its head again in this next piece of news.

Toxic Cocktail: Combining Dangerous Osteoporosis Drugs

The mysterious and dangerous Forteo has been used in combination with the equally harmful Prolia by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

News Excerpt

“Treatment with a combination of teriparatide (Forteo) plus denosumab (Prolia) led to greater increases in bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis than either agent alone, a randomized trial showed.
…

“ ‘The combination of denosumab and teriparatide seems to unlink more effectively bone resorption and formation than the combination of bisphosphonates and [parathyroid hormone]. Perhaps, unlike bisphosphonate combinations, the combination of teriparatide and denosumab permits continued teriparatide-induced, modeling-based bone formation,’ the researchers explained.⁴ (emphasis mine)

But didn’t we just read the latest research that confirms the undeniable link between bone resorption and formation?

This trial just further proves that increased bone density can be achieved via drugs, but at the expense of healthy bone remodeling. The bone may appear denser when tested, but the bone’s strength and flexibility (which ultimately are what prevent fractures) have been compromised by the drug.

What is so unsettling here is that researchers are combining multiple drugs in an attempt to replicate the delicate interplay between cells, hormones, and so forth that naturally takes place in bone metabolism. Why not simply support and boost that process with a safe, natural, effective approach like the Osteoporosis Reversal Program?

One thing that will never change is the fact that no osteoporosis drug is (or ever will be) 100% safe. In contrast, the Osteoporosis Reversal Program is 100% safe and effective, and it works with, not against, your body’s natural bone-building processes.

Till next time,

References

¹ “Romosozumab (Osteoporosis) – Forecast and Market Analysis to 2022 – New Market Report.” SBWire. June 3, 2013. Web. https://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/romosozumab-osteoporosis-forecast-and-market-analysis-to-2022-new-market-report-257010.htm
² Anderson, Thomas L., et al. “Understanding Coupling between Bone Resorption and Formation:” The American Journal of Pathology. July 2013. Vol. 183, issue 1, Pages 235-246. Web. https://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/ajpa/article/S0002-9440%2813%2900262-9/abstract
³ “Reversal cells may tip the balance between bone formation and resorption in health and disease.” MedicalXpress. June 6, 2013. Web. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-06-reversal-cells-bone-formation-resorption.html
⁴ Walsh, Nancy. “Forteo Plus Prolia Builds Bone.” MedPageToday. May 15, 2013. Web. https://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Osteoporosis/39130