Normal standing posture compared to osteoporosis standing posture [Image from Wikipedia]
1. Dual-acting osteoporosis drug
Osteoporosis occurs when bones become weak and brittle. Bone mass loss occurs silently and progressively without symptoms until the first fracture, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The condition also results in a greater risk of bones breaking.
Bone-strengthening medication in the form of a new dual-acting drug (romosozumab) could give patients with osteoporosis more control in preventing additional fractures.
“For every hip fracture patient, they have a 20% likelihood of dying in the next year,” Dr. Chad Deal, a staff member in rheumatic disease at the Cleveland Clinic said.
The drug has shown a 50% reduction in spine fractures and a 38% reduction in hip fractures.
“I think it will be first-line for high-risk patients [in the next three years],” Deal said.
