Researchers from Loyola University Health System in Chicago, U.S., stated that binge drinking (consuming large amounts of alcohol within a short period of time) during teen years is related to an increased risk of osteoporosis and other health hazards with age. According to The Times of India (TOI), study-leader and bone-biologist John Callaci, PhD, Loyola University Health System said, “Lifestyle-related damage done to the skeleton during young adulthood may have repercussions lasting decades.”

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Pfizer Inc. has announced the suspension of the osteoarthritis clinical program for the investigational compound tanezumab following a request by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The worldwide suspension which is effective immediately follows a small number of reports of tanezumab patients experiencing the worsening of osteoarthritis leading to joint replacement. To date, this adverse event has not been observed in non-osteoarthritis patient populations taking tanezumab.

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According to Phyllis Edwards, certified bone densitometry technologist and nutritionist with Bio-Imaging Osteoporosis Outreach Services, said that weight loss can often lead to bone loss, especially in people who go through cycles of losing weight and then gaining it back. “Many people lose bone mass when they lose weight.. This pattern for losing weight can jeopardize your bone health in later life, particularly if you already have risk factors for osteoporosis. This includes men,” Edwards added.

According to the results of an international study led by Taiwanese scientists, a common type of protein modification could be a cause of various health problems, including osteoporosis and hair loss. The research, conducted on mice, reveals that defective palmitoylation resulted in hair loss, severe osteoporosis, cachexia, systemic amyloidosis and early death in the animals, Academia Sinica said a statement.

The FDA has warned that high dose of a class of drugs known as Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs), for conditions such as heartburn, acid reflux and gastric ulcers, for a long term carries an increased risk of bone fractures in the wrist, hip and spine. In their warning to consumers and health care professionals, the FDA said the product labeling will be changed to include a safety warning about the increased potential risk.

Prolia, a new injectable drug to treat osteoporosis in postmenopausal women at high risk of fractures has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).The federal agency has announced that approving Prolia, made by Amgen, offers postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk of fractures another treatment option. Osteoporosis is a disease that weakens bone and makes it more likely to break.

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The WHO Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX®) is now easily accessible via iPhone, making the calculation tool independent of internet access and easy to use in any clinical setting. FRAX® is developed in partnership with the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) non governmental organization dedicated to the global fight against osteoporosis. The FRAX® iPhone Application includes PIN Protection for security purposes, Patient Results Management and Shake-to-Reset Scale functionality.

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In the March 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, new research suggests that widely used osteoporosis drugs called bisphosphonates do not boost women’s risk for femur or thigh fractures, which is something prior studies had suggested.

Bisphosphonates are the main class of drugs used to treat osteoporosis. Bisphosphonates include medications such as Boniva (ibandronate), Fosamax (alendronate) and Reclast (zoledronic acid).

The study was funded by was funded by the pharmaceutical companies Novartis and Merck, which both make bisphosphonates.

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AstraZeneca and Pozen have submitted a marketing authorization application or MAA in the EU via the decentralized procedure for Vimovo tablets, a product under investigation for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis in patients who are at risk of developing non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-associated ulcers. Vimovo is a fixed-dose combination of enteric coated naproxen and immediate release esomeprazole under co-development by AstraZeneca and Pozen.

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A recent study, conducted by researchers at University of Rochester Medical Center and presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Denver, indicated that a drug already approved to heal bone loss from osteoporosis may also help to prevent and reverse the damage to cartilage that leads to osteoarthritis. Currently, there are no drugs to treat cartilage loss in osteoarthritis, a condition that’s expected to affect some 50 million Americans by 2020. Parathyroid hormone, sold as the prescription drug teriparatide (Forteo), is already approved by the FDA to maintain and heal bone, and earlier studies have suggested that it also affects cartilage cells.