Bone Formation
Stronger bones with FORTEO
Once the effects of osteoporosis were thought to be irreversible, but today there is a 24-month treatment that offers results. FORTEO® (teriparatide[rDNA origin] injection) is the treatment proven to rebuild bone.
Very often, osteoporosis means not just bone loss, but potentially breaking a bone.
How FORTEO works
Most drugs used to treat osteoporosis simply slow down bone loss. As they slow down bone loss, however, they may also slow down bone formation.
You may have used some of these drugs in the past.
They include:
- Bisphosphonates
- Estrogen agonist/antagonists, commonly known as SERMs
- Calcitonin
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
Some osteoporosis patients may not be treated effectively with these medications. While these medicines may slow or stop bone loss, they can't actually rebuild bone that is already lost. FORTEO is the only medicine that actually rebuilds bone.
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| A small sample of bone taken from a patient with osteoporosis. | After 21 months of treatment with FORTEO, another sample taken from the same patient shows new bone has been formed. |
The above images are of paired iliac crest (the upper part of the pelvis) bone biopsies before treatment and after 21 months of treatment with FORTEO. These bone biopsies are from a patient who had a BMD response that was typical of the treatment group.
- FORTEO increases your body's ability to form new bone to fill in the pits and add a layer of new bone.
- The active, bone-rebuilding ingredient in FORTEO is similar to a protein your body produces naturally, called Parathyroid Hormone, or PTH.
* Fracture Prevention Trial: Trial characteristics: Designed to evaluate 1,637 postmenopausal women with a prior vertebral fracture. Mean age: 69. Median duration of exposure to therapy: 19 months (maximum 24 months). All received 1,000 mg/day of calcium and 400-1,200 IU/day of vitamin D.
