| Theme |
Recent progress in parathyroid hormone research |
| Title |
PTH as a therapeutic agent for osteoporosis |
| Author |
Yuji Ito |
Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, University of Tokushima Graduate School of Medicine |
| Author |
Daisuke Inoue |
Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, University of Tokushima Graduate School of Medicine |
| Author |
Toshio Matsumoto |
Department of Medicine and Bioregulatory Science, University of Tokushima Graduate School of Medicine |
| [ Summary ] |
Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) has been expected to be an effective therapeutic agent for treatment of osteoporosis because of its strong stimulatory action on bone formation.
In a large-scale, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled trial in the U.S.A., treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis with 20micro-g or 40micro-g per day of human PTH (1-34) resulted in a profound decrease in vertebral and nonvertebral fracture incidence 〔PR (95% CI)=0.47 (0.25 to 0.88), 0.46 (0.25 to 0.861), respectively〕. In November 2002, the FDA approved human PTH (1-34) for treatment of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women who are at high risk for fractures. The drug has also been approved for increasing bone mass in men with primary or hypogonadal osteoporosis at high risk. However, since related development of osteosarcoma has been reported in rats, further studies will be necessary to elucidate the mechanism of PTH actions and to solve safety issues, especially in long-term treatment. |