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EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 8:00 A.M. (EDT) ON MONDAY MAY 24

Bone Anabolic Agents Revolutionize Osteoporosis and Bone Disease Therapies

Bethesda (May 24, 2004)—A new class of drugs, called skeletal anabolics, is showing significant potential in the therapy of osteoporosis. Some members of this drug class are in basic research and development stages, and several others are either available or close to becoming available. Skeletal anabolics stimulate bone formulation, produce large increases in bone mineral density (BMD), improve bone quality and reduce bone fractures. Researchers and clinicians interested in anabolics and other cutting-edge advances in the field of bone-mineral metabolism will meet at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda in Bethesda, Maryland, on May 24-25, 2004, to take part in Advances in Skeletal Anabolic Agents for the Treatment of Osteoporosis: A Scientific Meeting.

“This is a very exciting time,” said Clifford J. Rosen, M.D., ASBMR Past President, Director of the Maine Center for Osteoporosis Research and Education at St. Joseph Hospital, Staff Scientist at The Jackson Laboratory, and one of the meeting’s organizers. “Our understanding of major bone anabolic pathways, such as BMP and LRP5, and identifying innovative and targeted drugs, has increased as a result of genomic and genetic insights.”

Bone is a complex structure, composed primarily of minerals and a small, but very active, cellular component. Through the action of bone-degrading osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblasts, the skeleton keeps itself healthy: destroying old or damaged bone and replacing it with new, fully mineralized tissue. Disorders of bone metabolism, such as osteoporosis (which can make bones porous, weak and more likely to fracture), arise from imbalances in this bone-resorbing and bone-forming activity. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 10 million people in the United States already have the disease and almost 34 million more have low bone mass, which places them at increased risk of developing the condition.

Current care for disorders of bone metabolism involve oral calcium and vitamin D therapy, either alone or in combination with a group of agents (called anti-resorptives) that slow bone breakdown and produce some bone repair. A variety of anti-resorptive agents are currently available for the therapy of osteoporosis, including bisphosphonates, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), calcitonins, estrogens and calcium/vitamin D replacement.

Unlike anti-resorptive agents, therapeutic skeletal anabolic agents build new bone. Parathyroid hormone (PTH), an anabolic agent, has been on the market for about two years. It has produced nearly a 9 percent increase in BMD over 18 months at the FDA-approved dose of 20 µg/day, and reduced skeletal fractures by 60 to 70 percent. In contrast, anti-resorptive agents have produced a 2-8 percent increase in BMD over three years and reduced fractures by 25 to 50 percent. Participants at the conference will look at PTH and the other anabolic agents currently under investigation and set future goals for the field as a whole.

“This meeting is the first of its kind,” said Andrew F. Stewart, M.D., Chief and Professor of Medicine in the Department of Endocrinology at the University of Pittsburgh and chair of the meeting’s Organizing Committee. “The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research and the National Institutes of Health are bringing together investigators working in this field, with the goal of identifying specific clinical and basic research questions that need to be addressed and advanced, so that effective new therapies for osteoporosis can be brought to the clinical arena as quickly as possible.”

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Advances in Skeletal Anabolic Agents for the Treatment of Osteoporosis: A Scientific Meeting is also co-sponsored by The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, The Endocrine Society, The International Society for Clinical Densitometry, The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, The National Institute on Aging, The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, The National Osteoporosis Foundation, and The Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation.

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The ASBMR is the premier professional, scientific and medical society established to promote excellence in bone and mineral research and to facilitate the translation of that research into clinical practice. The ASBMR has a membership of nearly 4,000 physicians, basic research scientists, and clinical investigators. To learn more about the Society and the field of bone and mineral research, visit the ASBMR website at www.asbmr.org.

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