THERE'S new hope for old bones: a bone-building drug about to be approved in the US not only stops bones wasting away, but actually reverses the process.
Old bone is constantly reabsorbed by cells called osteoclasts, while new bone is built up by osteoblasts. When more is lost than replaced, bones become fragile as the spaces inside them grow. Such bone wasting affects tens of millions of people worldwide, especially postmenopausal women, and half of all women will eventually suffer broken bones because of osteoporosis.
Most drugs for treating osteoporosis inhibit osteoclasts. But teriparatide, a synthetic version of parathyroid hormone made by Eli Lilly and marketed as Forteo, stimulates the bone-building osteoblasts. After trials involving 2800 men and women with osteoporosis, an FDA advisory committee unanimously recommended the drug for postmenopausal women.
"You get bone rebuilding," says Robert Neer of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who led the research. "You ...
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