Tarsa Therapeutics, Inc. and Unigene Laboratories, Inc. reported preclinical data showing that calcitonin may have synergistic effects in combination with other drugs in reducing the collagen degradation associated with osteoarthritis. The data are being presented at the 2010 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress in Brussels, Belgium. Unigene produces Fortical® nasal calcitonin product for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and Tarsa’s oral calcitonin is in a Phase III trial for the treatment of osteoporosis.

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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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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.

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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Research has shown a clear connection between depression and a loss of bone mass, leading to osteoporosis and fractures. Researchers of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem found that a link between depression and bone loss is particularly strong among young women. Osteoporosis is the most widespread degenerative disease in the developed world. Sufferers experience decrease in bone density, which often leads to bone fractures. In many cases, these fractures cause severe disability and even death.

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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.

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals reported promising results for bazedoxifene from a placebo-controlled Phase 3 study. The drug, a selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM), is under clinical investigation for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The trial of bazedoxifene 20 mg indicated a significant reduction in new vertebral fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis.

According to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, osteoporosis drug denosumab prevented fractures and strengthened bones in men taking hormone therapy for prostate cancer. The study indicated that Denosumab reduced spinal fractures in prostate cancer patients by 62%, as compared to a placebo, and increased spinal bone mineral density.

An osteoporosis drug proven to save lives after hip fractures may do so by strengthening the body’s immune system, according to geriatrics researchers at Duke University Medical Center. In 2007, Duke researchers reported a 28% reduction in death among patients who received zoledronic acid (Reclast) within 90 days of surgery for a hip fracture. Zoledronic acid is a yearly intravenous injection of bisphosphonate that inhibits the progression of bone loss. The researchers also reported that the 2,111 people who participated in the study were 35% less likely to suffer another fracture.